Kings of Leon singer/guitarist Caleb Followill told Rolling Stone’s Smoking Section this week that he, his two brothers, and his cousin—the members of Tennessee rock band Kings of Leon—have almost completed recording their fourth album at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio.
That the Kings are already raring to go with a new album is of note; their last album, the incredible Because of the Times, was released just 14 months ago, and they’ve since been on a heady world tour, opening for Pearl Jam most recently. Caleb also recovered from surgery on his arm this year, following a fistfight with older brother and KOL drummer Nathan.
“This is the first time I’ve really been proud of myself, track for track,” said Caleb, who drew at least some inspiration from his post-surgery meds. “I don’t know if it was the pills or what, but the melodies were so much stronger than anything I’ve ever done—it’s just really beautiful songs.”
The Kings of Leon using substances to egg on their songwriting? That’s nothing new. What is new is that they’re attacking new subjects, politics for one, on songs like “Crawl.”
“Let’s just say that Sean Penn is gonna like us more,” Caleb says, referring to the actor and activist friend of tourmate Eddie Vedder.