Indie And Disco Collide On The Kooks’ ‘Cold Heart’

Sixteen years since they burst onto the music scene with their debut album ‘Inside In/Inside Out’, The Kooks are back with their brand new single ‘Cold Heart’, and it’s a slice of indie that manages to sound both fresh and familiar.

There’s still a youthfulness to frontman Luke Pritchard’s voice, and it’s accompanied by a number of typical Kooks ingredients, thanks to his bandmates Hugh Harris (guitars, bass and keyboards) and Alexis Nunez (drums and percussion).

‘Cold Heart’ consists of punctuating electric and acoustic guitars, as well as funk bass and keyboard swathes which provide a distinct disco tinge, bridging the gap between 2006 and 2022. The lyrics are crammed with both emotion and energy, painting a clear picture of a free-spirited and careless ex-lover; “You buy your own things while you make your own decisions / You don’t care what anyone thinks / Let them hang on their own rope”. This is evidently an attitude that extends beyond people to material possessions; “You know money is just an invention to worry / And time is a piece you can’t keep.”

Such a person is almost portrayed as forbidden fruit, one who shows little concern for their partners but is nevertheless irresistible. It is Pritchard’s determination to break through to them that lends ‘Cold Heart’ some of its vitality, turning another heartbreak song into something instantly danceable; “Have you seen too much through those beautiful eyes? / I’m gonna reach your cold heart / I’m gonna reach your cold heart out in the night.”

It might have an icy title with words to match, but The Kooks have given this track a glossy and modern sheen that’s impossible to dislike. Far from leaving the listener cold, this might just warm them up, and get their toes tapping for good measure too.

Mason Hawker

@HawkerMason 

Image: ‘Cold Heart’ Official Single Cover (PRESS)