ONCE hailed as the ‘saviours of rock ’n’ roll’ and the ‘southern Strokes’, it’s fair to say that Kings of Leon have had a tumultuous few years. The four-piece from Nashville seem to be ready to put their past difficulties aside with the release of their latest album WALLS, as they return with a reinvigorated sense of self-belief and enthusiasm for their music; keen to fully embrace their mainstream appeal and realign their career trajectory in a more positive fashion.

Experiencing some well-publicised problems in recent years, the band have never quite matched the success of 2008’s Only By the Night; the album which became famous all over the world thanks to huge anthems such as ‘Sex on Fire’ and ‘Use Somebody’.

Disillusioned by the levels of mainstream fanfare which surrounded them, they then tried in vain with the records that followed to reconcile the two sides of their career; the authentic, raw southern-inspired garage rock of their earlier outputs and the massive arena-sized anthems that turned them into one of the world’s biggest commercial rock bands. The result being two albums that struggled to find an identity; trying to grasp that original raw energy while still reluctantly striving for those big hooks. Deteriorating relationships accompanied a slump in form, with the band admitting themselves that Come Around Sundown (2010) and Mechanical Bull (2013) were not their best work.

Their seventh album WALLS, sees the band sounding more comfortable in themselves as they embrace what they’re good at; this is an unashamedly polished rock record packed full of arena-ready choruses. It is no surprise that they have taken on Markus Dravs as producer, the man who elevated Arcade Fire into huge, festival-headlining anthem-mongers; his production is evident throughout with the clean guitar lines and huge atmospherics.

Leading single ‘Waste A Moment’ kicks things off, and is perhaps the best track to emerge from Kings of Leon in some time. Immediately stating their intentions, it’s a song made for radio and a notable nod to ‘Sex on Fire’; building up with frantic percussion into a typically euphoric chorus, it is led by Caleb Followhill’s signature howling vocals and plenty of ‘woah’ refrains. ‘Reverend’ follows in similar fashion with its driving rhythms and melodic guitar lines; Followhill’s vocals sounding even grittier over a layered chorus which once again falls into earworm territory, despite its slower pace.

There are flashes of sonic explorations here too though. ‘Around the World’ is Kings of Leon at their most fun and accessible with bright, punchy guitars; betraying crisp pop sensibilities as they unexpectedly verge into eighties territory. Elsewhere the ballad ‘Muchacho’, dedicated to a deceased friend, provides an unlikely highlight with its echoing guitars, subtle latin-style percussion and most unusually, a whistling solo.

A handful of tracks also showcase a more introspective side to Caleb Followhill, with some of their most personal tracks to date such as ‘Over’, ‘Conversation Piece’ and title track ‘Walls’; the latter a gentle slow burner which is entirely focused around the lead singer’s emotive delivery over minimalist guitar and piano. Where they fall flat however, is their continued reliance on over-arching sentiments and simple lyricism when in search for a hook. Repetitive phrases like ‘Been around the world!’, ‘Don’t say it’s over’ and ‘I face the music’ don’t add much to the emotional content of their music; choosing to bellow out broad declarations instead of forming evocative narratives. Even the full title of the album ‘We Are Like Love Songs’ falls into this cheesy trap, but it’s a feature of their music that is very much in line with hook-laden grooves of the record.

In the build up to its release, Kings of Leon discussed finding themselves and going back to their roots. While WALLS doesn’t necessarily live up to this billing (it won’t do anything to win back the fans of their earlier material), it has made moves to bridge the gap between the two different eras of the band in ways that they previously haven’t managed. Wrinkles of that southern rock sensibility emerge through signs of a reignited passion and drive, while they thrive on the soaring anthemic qualities that made Only the Night such a success. Arguably their best record since 2008, the four-piece will no doubt to continue to polarise opinion but they now sound willing to get rid of the shackles of their own inhibitions and the expectations of others which will surely have a positive impact on their future.