Recently, Queen’s University student indie-rock band, Kings of Queens, has celebrated many firsts. Their first performance in Ottawa, at Mavericks Bar, rocked the house on Jan 19. Their first EP, SOCIAL EXPERIMENT released on Jan. 12, marking a musical milestone for the group.
“Kings of Queens have a sound that is both familiar yet refreshing, inviting listeners on a musical journey to discover their distinctive sound,” according to the band’s biography.
Drummer Sean Pollen said he feels “Fly” is the band’s best song on the five-track EP.
“I think we mesh together really well, especially in the bridge when the drums cut out,” Pollen said. “I think it grows — a lot of our other songs kind of just whack you in the face for four minutes. This one’s more of a slowburn.”
Kings of Queens prides themselves on creating a good time, bassist Nico Pare told the Charlatan.
Mavericks was bustling with roughly 350 people in attendance. Many were bopping heads, singing lyrics over pounding speakers and sitting on friends’ shoulders to get a better view of the band.
“Our songs are written around five people having fun [when performing] live,” Pollen said. “We want to get people dancing and get people jumping around.”
Though the band members agreed on the goal of their music, the same can’t be said for where they respectively find their inspiration.
“I’m into funk music and classic rock,” Pare said. “Swim’s into indie and folk music, Coleman [Campbell is] into country and gospel and you got Lachlan [Pope] who’s into heavy metal, trashy grunge, ‘90s rock. And Sean, he likes everything.”
According to band members, the EP recording process presented challenges.
“It’s like nightmare after nightmare, like the amount of self doubt that goes into every single aspect of it is actually mind blowing,” Stephen Swim, Kings of Queens’ lead singer and rhythm guitarist, said.
Maintaining good relationships throughout recording can be tough, he added.
“When you write the songs, you can see them going so many different ways and everyone has a different idea for how it could go.”
Pollen shared that the band was thrilled to finally release SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.
“The most satisfying day was when we submitted it,” Pollen said.
Kings of Queens believes in the Ontario music scene, and they said they admire the up-and-coming acts across the province. But Pare, originally from Ottawa, said he has a specific goal for the city.
“I’m from here and I know the music scene and I mean, the nightlife in general is kind of dead,” he said. “I’m hoping to bring some of it back and I think we’ve done a good job of that in Kingston already.”
The Ottawa crowd appeared receptive to the band’s embrace of indie-rock energy.
“It’s much more intimate and everyone’s mingling. I really like it — it seems much more casual,” said Megan Johnson, an audience member at the show.
“People are way more fun at small concerts,” Pollen said. “When you’re on stage you can see everyone in the room, you can see everyone having a good time, the drinks are flowing — can’t complain, you know?”
Officially, Kings of Queens’ next performance is at Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on Feb. 10.
But unofficially, their next goal, as Pollen joked, is “world domination.”
Featured image by Kyla Silva/the Charlatan.
