The very first time Jason Bentley played French Style Furs’ “All the Way Down“, I immediately recognized Nathan Willett’s voice. He’s the singer/frontman for Cold War Kids and it turns out FSF is a side project with him, CWK bassist Matt Maust and Nathan Warketin from We Barbarians.
For their in studio session at KCRW — their radio debut!! — they beefed up the band, adding some horns and two singers that not only enhanced the sound, but the overall style. They looked cool and sounded even better.
It was all the things I like about CWK and more – raw, intense energy funneled through catchy, slightly punk, almost danceable songs.
And the lyrics were inspired by the poetry of a 20th century monk named Thomas Merton.
They premiered a handful of tracks from their album (out now) which you can check out here.
If you want a quick hit, listen to the live version of their excellent single “All the Way Down” on YouTube, and hit up KCRW’s Album Preview feature to stream the entire album, “Is Exotic Bait”, in full this week!
RR