We're not ones to shy away from calling out the obvious, so to be real, every time we hear the term “triumphant” as it describes a new band or a chuggy, exciting song, we are certain we'd lose our minds. Not again. Then, to our dismay, and to Missing Monuments' credit, they released a song that was exactly that. Without even touching the t-word, we'll say that King Louie is back with an even denser, more critically crafted output for his Louisiana-honed garagepop group. In the song “Heart and Soul”, there is power in the lyrics, power in the solos (pulled out like spaghetti goo through a Flying V), and in the fast-paced singalong nature of the track. If you want to call it triumphant, fine, but know that really what Missing Monuments are doing here is creating a song that reflects on its title—it's packed with full heart and in-touch soul. After a history of being the most thrilling and prolific songman in Louisiana, King Louie is surely back and this time, with lyrics like “we always thought the rest of our lives would just be next week,” we're seeing reflections on deeper subjects but with a surer, stabler clarity.
Missing Monuments' first full-length record, following up a sizzling EP, will release through Portland's Dirtnap Records at the end of July.
