On Nov. 21, Krooked Kings opened for The Happy Fits during their U.S. Lovesick tour at The Complex. The self-described Salt Lake City boy band met at the University of Utah before releasing their first self-titled album in 2019. 

Krooked Kings’ first nationwide tour was in 2023, after their single “Sick of Being Young” became an overnight sensation, hitting the top 50 on the U.S. alternative charts and blowing up online. Today, they boast over 450,000 monthly Spotify listeners after the release of their third and fourth albums, “Sick of Being Young” and “Shiver.” This fall, they released their most recent singles “Rancher’s Daughter” and “Parking Lots.” 

A new era 

Krooked King’s lead vocalist, Oli Martin, said that these recent singles mark a new era for the band, defined by a shift in artistic vision, both sonically and commercially. 

“A lot of it is the way we’re trying to brand ourselves and market ourselves as a band,” Martin said. “Early on, we had a lot of social media success and stuff, and now we’re trying to branch out and get more artistic with how we promote ourselves. It’s also a refresh of what our styles were; we had a new producer do this album, so I think there were a lot of stylistic changes musically as well.” 

Krooked Kings is working on their newest album with producer Yves Rothman, who also works with Blondshell and Yves Tumor. They plan on marketing the record with a strategy that de-centers social media. “Finding things that fans can connect to without selling yourself for an algorithm has been really important for us,” Martin said. 

Drummer Quinn Caper describes Rothman as ‘grandiose.’ “He’s like, I need imagery and big themes, and that really made us work harder on having a more consistent story throughout the album,” they said. 

A dive bar love story 

The band said that their newest single, “Parking Lots,” is about romanticizing their grimy day-to-day lives. “It’s a classic love story, but it’s set in a grimy bar, and then it moves to the parking lot,” Martin said. 

The song is a classic, whimsical indie anthem. It sounds timeless yet nostalgic, with its melancholy lyrics set to pop rhythms and a catchy chorus. 

Dancin’ on the hood of your car, singin’ all the words wrong

Screamin’ at the top of our lungs

Dreamin’, two kids, big house, backyard

My whole life is flashing

We’re still in the parking lot

“We kept driving around, and we were looking for somewhere to stop and get out for a while. So we found the parking lot, and we said, ‘I’ve got an idea.’” joked the band’s keyboardist and self-described ‘bad boy,’ David Macey. 

Chemistry builds artistry 

Krooked King’s set radiated energy from an infatuating connection between audience hype and on-stage excitement. It became immediately obvious that a good percentage of the crowd attended the show for Krooked Kings, despite them being an opening act. The band was visibly excited when the crowd sang along to every word from their newest songs. Leading man Martin danced on stage with a genuine, electrifying passion. 

The band felt innately connected with a chemistry that was impossible to ignore. Krooked Kings brings a unique timelessness to the modern indie genre. One conversation with the group makes it obvious that the source of this deeply organic feeling is the basis of every good band– genuine friendship. 

Bassist Matt Monosson said his one piece of advice for any college band is to find bandmates who are friends first. 

“I’ve had like the best five years of my life with these guys,” he said. “The camaraderie and the ups and downs; that’s what I really define success as … this is so much more fun because we were friends first and then we came together and could be vulnerable with each other while we’re making the music.” 

Krooked King’s newest album and their first full album with producer Yves Rothman, In Another Life, is set for release on March 27.