Devlin & The Harm - “Kingdom Comes”
Photo by Natali Hopkins
Los Angeles, CA-based Devlin & The Harm return to us with “Kingdom Comes,” a song that marks a creative turning point for songwriter Devlin McCluskey.
“Kingdom Comes” is imbued with a rich and retro production, including twangy, vibrato-laden guitar tones akin to most Tarantino soundtracks or any contemporary spaghetti western. The vibe is immediately recognizable as dark and gritty, which effectively nails our niche for the genre, and listeners will likely be drawn into its Lord Huron-esque mood and energy.
McCluskey takes advantage of the arrangement’s late-1960s, smokey atmosphere to dispatch a deep, raw baritone reminiscent of Jim Morrison or even Nick Cave. The nature of his haunting delivery has brought us back to “Kingdom Comes” for multiple listening sessions, as has the warmth in the saturated licks from the overdriven lead guitar.
For a substantial sense of depth, a string section has been deployed over key sections, which wonderfully underscore the overall melancholic energy of the entire song. “Kingdom Comes” is one of those psychedelically-tinged slices of indie rock that demands more than one listen, best experienced while driving aimlessly into endless darkness.