There’s something about The Kooks’ latest album Junk of the Heart that, simply put, feels right; its overall composition, the ordering of the songs and the time of year it was released all seem well and intentionally calculated. The Kooks have showed little by way of development since the release of Inside In, Inside Out, and personally I think there’s nothing wrong with that since what they had to begin with was so satisfying. Junk of the Heart is winsome from the opening chords of addictive pop single and title track “Junk of the Heart (Happy)” and ending with cathartic jam “Mr. Nice Guy.” The entire album is as listenable as their first two (which were both pretty damn catchy) and is equally guilty of possessing a tweenage pop appeal. Even with song titles such as “Fuck the World Off” they can’t seem to shake this. Pritchard has a knack for writing blush-inducing lyrics set to 1960’s/1990’s blended melodies. And he’s good at it. This album definitely will be pleasing to previous enthusiasts and ought to do enough to snag them some new fans. There’s not much point in highlighting the album’s strong points because the album as a whole speaks pretty loudly for itself. It’s a people-pleaser. You can download my personal favorites below, though I would highly recommend picking up the album in its entirety.

1. Junk Of The Heart (Happy)
2. How’d You Like That
3. Rosie
4. Taking Pictures Of You
5. F**k The World Off
6. Time Above The Earth
7. Runaway
8. Is It Me
9. Killing Me
10. Petulia
11. Eskimo Kiss
12. Mr. Nice Guy