5/5 stars
The recording sessions took place at the renowned Dark Horse Recording studios in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. This home-state environment helped foster a more relaxed, organic atmosphere. "It was the most enjoyable record I've ever been a part of," frontman Caleb Followill declared, emphasizing that the album was conceived without the external pressure of a label deal. Nathan Followill echoed this sentiment, noting the band allowed themselves to be "musically vulnerable," a refreshing departure from the constant high-octane rock that often defines their genre. This freedom is palpable throughout the 44-minute, 12-track journey, which feels less like a formal studio product and more like songs "being jammed out in a basement and pummeled into shape by repetition and verbal fist fights".
And the gamble paid off.
The 12-track album features a mix of high-energy rockers and atmospheric ballads: Ballerina Radio Kings Of Leon - Can We Please Have Fun -2024- M...
The album consists of with a total runtime of approximately 45 minutes: Ballerina Radio Rainbow Ball Nowhere to Run Mustang (Lead Single) Actual Daydream Split Screen Don’t Stop the Bleeding Nothing to Do M Television Hesitation Gen Ease Me On Critical and Commercial Reception
Here, the band leans into a post-punk aesthetic. The rhythm section
The 12-track album offers a calculated arc that splits between atmospheric mid-tempo experimentation and sharp, gritty rock outbursts. Album Review: Kings of Leon – Can We Please Have Fun 5/5 stars The recording sessions took place at
However, not everyone was fully convinced. The Guardian gave a tepid review, noting that while "Caleb Followill retains one of the great rock voices," the lyrics often dissolve into "garbled nonsense". The Telegraph similarly noted that while the album had “fistfuls of thrillingly raucous rockers,” it ultimately didn’t have enough sustained fun.
Lyrically, Caleb Followill moves away from the direct, whiskey-soaked narratives of his youth and the sweeping, vague romanticism of their stadium era. Instead, Can We Please Have Fun tackles the absurdities of middle age, long-term relationships, and the anxiety of navigating a fractured, digital world.
The album opens with a distorted radio dial, fuzzed-out bass, and then— boom —a riff that sounds like The Strokes jamming with Tom Petty. “Ballerina Radio” is a mission statement: jagged, immediate, and weird. Caleb sings about late-night visions and fading signals. It’s not a single; it’s a slap in the face to anyone expecting Sex on Fire part four. Nathan Followill echoed this sentiment, noting the band
: The record spans genres, featuring everything from the synth-laden, Britpop-influenced opener " Ballerina Radio " to the raw, punk-leaning energy of " Nothing to Do ".
Ultimate Classic Rock offered a positive take, noting that the album "shakes loose" from the band's recent creative constraints and represents their "most unrestricted" sound in years. While acknowledging that the album sometimes seems uncertain about its direction, the review praised producer Kid Harpoon's contributions, particularly the "graceful notes of ambience" on the opening tracks.