By Andy McFerren
There’s a John Mulaney bit from his first comedy special New in Town where he talks about how he’s a terrible driver. So bad that when he was driving on the highway in Texas, he found himself in a U-turn only lane. And while in the middle of making the U-turn, he realized he didn’t want to be there, so he put his car in reverse and then proceeded to re-merge onto the highway. He ends the bit by saying that after such a chaotic maneuver, people were pulling up next to him “expecting to see like a hundred-year-old blind dog who’s texting while driving and drinking a smoothie. Instead, they see a twenty-eight-year-old healthy man trying his best.”
Well, John, I know it’s been over a decade, and you’ve probably moved on from this, but I have a song for you. It’s called “Letter to a Past Self” by Krooked Kings. And the band would tell you that trying your best, whatever that may be, is enough.
Krooked Kings are a five-piece band from Salt Lake City, Utah consisting of Oliver ‘Oli’ Martin (lead vocals, guitar), Paul Colgan (guitar), David Macey (keys), Matt Monosson (bass), and Quinn Casper (drums). On the outside, the band keeps it light. To the casual observer, they’re just a bunch of bros busting each other’s balls and cracking jokes, referencing the many acts of stupidity of their shared past. And if that was your only interaction with them, you might think that was all there was. You would have never guessed that they are an indie rock band on the rise.
Luckily for all parties involved, there’s more to them than meets the eye—just like there almost always is. Their story sounds like something out of a movie: Oli and Paul start a band and eventually recruit their childhood friends, Matt and Dave. Matt had never even played bass until Oli convinced him. As someone who has been put in the same situation, you just say yes and figure it out later. They get their start playing frat parties, and things really start to click once they find a consistent drummer in Quinn.
As an aside, why is it always the drummers that make it click? Neil Peart, Dave Grohl, Travis Barker—the list goes on and on, but I digress.
Each member of the band comes from a drastically different musical background, ranging from jazz to ‘90s alternative to house and everything else in between. Regardless, they make it work, landing on an en vogue indie rock sound. While the world stopped for most people with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, things were just getting started for the band. The band gained some traction on social media, and as they say, the rest is history.
Life is funny that way. One day you’re playing frat parties with your buddies, and the next you’re playing a nationwide tour together and your song “Sick of Being Young” enters the Top 50 on U.S. Alternative Radio. Now, this in no way is an attempt to discount the hard work they’ve put in. It’s taken years of consistent effort for them to get here. The only overnight successes that happen anymore are the result of endless hard work. And in this age of increasingly short attention spans with everyone vying for our attention, the effort required to stay relevant is never ending. Someone is only an “overnight success” from the fans’ point of view. The work didn’t start when they went viral, nor does it end after any amount of success. For anyone who has ever denigrated the amount of work it takes for a band to be successful in the reign of TikTok and social media, they’ve clearly never had to try it. There is a reason they call it a grind.
But the story of Krooked Kings began before the band ever played a single note together. At eighteen years old, lead singer Oliver Martin went on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He started with hope and excitement, but that soon turned to despair and hopelessness. Martin faced severe depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. After four months in South America, he went home to receive treatment, and luckily began to get better. However, what followed was a journey of self-discovery and shortly thereafter, Martin left the church of his religious upbringing.
As one door closes, another one opens. The ending of one chapter of Martin’s life became the beginning of the next. “Leaving the church really served as a catalyst for me to put pen to paper,” says Martin. “I truly wanted and prayed to believe, but when that wasn’t working, I think all those emotions made their way into our songwriting, which has been a definite influence in our music. I think the hardest, and most rewarding part of leaving is learning to put trust in yourself – but that is something I still try to practice every day.”
And while this schism inspired Martin to start writing music, the band’s message is one of unity. “Really, the goal is to have people find their own stories from their own lives within the song,” iterates the band, emphasizing that this includes people from all backgrounds, from the “faith-abiding Christian” to—with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor—the “sinning heathen.” Regardless, their goal is singular: to help as many people as they can through their music.
“We want to be a band that impacts as many people as possible,” says Oli Martin. “I know that might sound pretentious or intangible, but I think everyone has had experiences where music has touched them and inspired them for the better. A lot of our songs are sad, but I think we want to be a force of positivity and empathy. We want to be something that tells people they aren’t alone – as much as a band can anyway.”
And that’s what the band is doing with the message of their third album Shiver. In a social media post announcing the album, the band said that it’s a snapshot of “our pasts, our presents, and our futures, and the ghosts that haunted them.” The album is a reflection of their time spent in these last few years since the band has taken off, how their lives have changed, and confronting those ghosts.
“Everyone has their own things that haunt them, that take up the space in the corners of their mind, regrets and anxieties and frustrations,” said Martin. “I think we were all trying to confront those things personally while writing, so we ended up with what looks like a bit of a mixed bag in terms of song topics.” In many ways, the album is about growing up, demonstrating the growth the band has gone through musically and in life in general. This manifests in their songwriting and their sound. It’s no longer just catchy indie/surf rock (not that there’s anything wrong with catchy indie rock), but there’s depth to it. There’s a maturity that wasn’t present on their first two albums.
This maturity is evident from the very beginning. Whether it’s the aforementioned heartfelt “Letter to a Past Self,” or a reflection on life and death in the song “Catacombs,” it’s something new that we haven’t seen from the band. The rest of the album is just as contemplative, messages of hope through the lens of mental health and other life struggles—all disguised with the sounds of indie rock bops, slick guitar licks, and airy melodies. It’s a sound that’s familiar to their previous albums, but without sounding redundant. It’s improved. It’s like we’re watching them level up in real time, both lyrically and sonically.
Despite the soft bullying and different musical backgrounds between the members, you can tell that the band cares for each other. As they navigate the chaos that is breaking out into the hellscape that is the current music industry, they have each other’s backs. And while we romanticize what it’s like to be in a band, there have been enough movies, documentaries, and articles to know that just because bands make awesome music together doesn’t mean that they actually get along.
To borrow from March Madness terms, Krooked Kings are looking prime to make their Cinderella story into a championship run, and we should all be rooting for them. Of course, the band doesn’t know what the future holds but one thing is certain: this is only the beginning.
Be sure to follow Krooked Kings on Instagram! Check out “Letter to a Past Self” below.