Crown The King burst onto the scene with their single “Gone Too Fast”. With it, they showcased an energetic pop-punk vibe with hooks that made you sing along. It established the band as one to watch. Since then, Dan Gannon (vocals), Seán Hodson (guitar), Alan Shiels (guitar), Eanna Brown (bass), and Jamie Doran (drums) have continued to evolve their sound and talents. Their following releases, “Honey” and “Fence” (feat Lizzy Farrall), continued to grab people’s attention receiving rave reviews.
2021 saw the band release “Melissa”, the first single from their highly anticipated debut EP Groundhog Day. The guys are excited to set this collection of songs free. Brown has said, “It’s been great to see all the buzz and support around the band since we started, and we’re really grateful to all our friends, family and fans for that. I don’t need to remind everyone how weird the past two years have been between the pandemic and other events. Working on ‘Groundhog Day’ really helped us through those tough times and gave us something to focus on. It’s a really special record to us, and we sincerely hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did making it”.
“I Miss You (But I Don’t Feel Bad)” gets the Groundhog Day EP started. As soon as you press play, Gannon’s vocals burst in with, “Another song about a failed relationship / You lead me on until you had me round your fingertip”. As the opening verse continues, the band bounce off each other. They create an energetic mood to make you want to jump around (thanks to some great drumming). Then, when the hook arrives, it makes the listener want to sing along to the repeated lines, “I miss you, but I don’t feel bad / still love you, but I can’t change facts / try to move on, but I can’t see past / the mask you wear cause it’s pretty much intact”.
The title track offers more of their energetic sound and thunderous drums. Lyrically, it offers a little more than the opening track as they share a story about life feeling the same. As highlighted with the lines, “I’m losing track of the weekdays / They’re starting to feel like a replay”. As always, expect a hook that makes you want to sing along. Later in the song, Ganon lets his vocals loose to deliver the lines, “Get a job, get a house, get a college degree / But I don’t know who I am / Was this your plan, was this your plan?”.
“Running on Empty” tells a story about losing momentum with life, letting their lyrical talents stand out. They paint various pictures within each verse. They talk about the moments in life, while some are very reminiscent. The perfect example of this is the lines, “Looking back at who I tried to be back then / It’s really sad to see I couldn’t be myself / Put too much weight in other people’s perception / Now I’ve ended my campaign of self-deception”. It’s a hidden gem within the EP that highlights an impressive depth to their songwriting talents.
Closing out Groundhog Day is the anthemic “Melissa”. Like those before it, the drums and guitars set up the mood for the story to begin. This time, with the lines, “You’re a shadow on a hazy day / A sight for sore eyes, but I can’t look away / A smile pasted on a saddened face / The quiet, it’s screaming at me”. Again, their storytelling qualities impress as they talk about Melissa. A topic highlighted by its infectious hook, “Melissa, Are you keeping well? / You say that you feel off, well please do tell / Me all about the problems that you had / If there’s anything I can do I’ll be glad”.
Groundhog Day EP feels like it is just the beginning of something special from Crown The King
As the EP comes to a close, it leaves you wanting more. Groundhog Day is a short burst of pop-punk goodness filled with infectious hooks. Under the surface, Crown The King showcases a lyrical talent that deserves as much respect as their sound. It all comes together to create a collection of songs that doesn’t disappoint.
