Their last song ‘Down Here’ reached No. 54 on iTunes and now King Cujo is back with ‘In My Vein’, ready to climb their way even further up the rankings. Not willing to settle for anything less than top, the band moves from strength to strength, powering their way up the charts as each new single for their album ‘Lost Inside the Landfill’ is revealed.
As the song’s title promises, the reverberant sound and gravelly vocals of this single offer listeners a dose of King Cujo’s musical talent directly to the vein. The addictive melody seems to permeate every body part and you’d better hold on to your headphones or the music might sweep you away.
The repeated motif of the opening verse is accompanied by some futility-tinged lyrics, ‘tangled up in chains / fire shots at nothing’. This is fittingly paired with the insistence of the bass and guitar as well as the propulsive beat of the drums, trapping the listener in a dizzying, immersive whirlpool of sound. Head reeling, the only response is to sway amidst the swirling instruments like ‘a moth to the flame’, or like the darker image invoked of a ‘lamb to the wolf-pack’. We can’t help but feel lulled into a nightmarish vision of repetition, inaction and beneath it, some kind of simmering rage.
The reprieve comes with a sustained note, rasped out with grit and emotion by Kevin Dawson and held throughout the chorus like an echo. Never buried by the heavier drums and bass, this higher-pitched note floats effortlessly over the top of the music. Perhaps a cry of anguish, restlessness, rebellion or all three combined, it creates a complex layering of voice, melody and beat, contributing to the immersion of the listener.
Similarly to ‘Down Here’, the middle of the song features a pared-back section in which the bass and guitar are completely stripped back. Zooming in on the voice brings listeners’ focus to the lyrics, heard now in isolation. The drumsticks almost seem to tiptoe over the drums here, softly yet continuously maintaining suspense while allowing the power of the vocals to dominate. You’ll be holding your breath until the chorus rushes thunderously back again, along with the bass and guitar.
After a final repetition of ‘in my vein’, left impactfully hanging over the listener, the lyrics dye out. The final minute of the song is devoted to music alone and the instruments claim their stage by carrying the melody. Layers of sound overlap and ensnare without losing the essence of the track and the disorientating sense of immersion continues beyond the last note.