Kings of Leon are set to release a new album this fall, marking a sonic departure for the Grammy-winning band. The 13-track record, titled "O My Beloved," is scheduled for release on Nov. 6 and features a more personal, acoustic songwriting direction, a shift inspired by an unexpected injury.
Frontman Caleb Followill sustained a broken foot while playing tag with his children last spring, just before the band was due to embark on a European tour. The injury prompted a period of reflection, during which Followill began writing music on an acoustic guitar. This process led to the creation of stripped-down songs that differed significantly from the electric-leaning tracks the band had been exploring.
"The songs just took on a different meaning, and so all the songs that we had been working on, they no longer were as attractive to me," Caleb Followill stated. "I feel like just the whole temperature changed around us. And we realized that we’re going to make something a little more significant."
The new material is described as more melancholic than bombastic, with themes of gratitude and family. "O My Beloved" represents a return to the simpler songwriting style that Caleb and his drummer brother, Nathan, explored before the band achieved mainstream success.
New Direction and First Single
The band's first single from the album, "My Whole World," released on Thursday, offers a glimpse into this new direction. The song was written by Caleb Followill following his injury, drawing inspiration from domestic life and family. The lyrics include references to "peanut butter pie" and "pin oak tree," and the accompanying video features home footage of the band members' childhoods.
Caleb Followill admitted to being nervous about presenting the acoustic-led song to his bandmates, partly due to his usual performance style and the emotional nature of the lyrics. He reflected on processing feelings he had set aside while navigating his career and family life.
"We have already surpassed anything we ever imagined we could do and we’ve built something that’s so beautiful," he said. "So, as opposed to having a 25-year anniversary where we kind of put out the greatest hits or something, I thought, wouldn’t it be beautiful to make an album that is looking back on all of the things that we’ve done and appreciating how we got here?"
Production and Songwriting Influences
Bassist Jared Followill noted that the band had the freedom to explore this new direction as "O My Beloved" is the first album where they are self-producing. "The songs just really started to pile up one after another and it became apparent that there could be something there and let’s just dive in," he said. "No hesitation from us."
Other tracks on the album include "KOYSAR" (Kick Off Your Shoes and Run), a joyful song inspired by Caleb Followill's childhood memories of playing with his siblings, aiming to impart similar experiences to his own children. "Such a Pretty Thing" is a tender track about a high school sweetheart.
"That was the kind of songs that we wanted to write, and then we started the band and kind of went a different direction. But on this album, I feel like we kind of got back to that," Caleb Followill explained. "We finally got to do it on album 10."
The album's title track is an unconventional musical interlude. It features a short, lo-fi recording of Caleb Followill singing and playing his guitar, captured on a smartphone outside the band's Nashville studio with the sound of a passing train. "It turned out really, really cool and so we kept it," Jared Followill added.