Kidnap Kings. A band, a manifesto, a way of life.
"We'll kidnap kings and make off with their crowns." That proclamation, made in one of their electrifying songs, puts forward the bold intent and the singular identity of Kidnap Kings. Reaching upward with furious fists of ambition, breaking from established tradition, this provocative new Midwestern band has the nerve to kidnap kings, toppling established convention along the way.
"There are many people in bands. There are not as many musicians. And there are even less artists," points out frontman Sebastian Davin. "A lot of people know how to perform, but they're really copycats. Some people focus on the lifestyle of being in a band but don't know anything about the art of being in a band. Our voice is our own."
An accomplished vocalist, guitarist and pianist (he contributed to Paramore's Riot and Breaking Benjamin’s Phobia albums), Davin led the band through earlier incarnations across Warped Tour dates, an MTV News profile, a record deal and several tours with bands like Blue October and Breaking Benjamin. Kidnap Kings is the sum total of that experience, development and sharply focused talent converging in a new and exciting way. Somehow combining the restless spirit of Muse, the melodic songcraft of Coldplay, the esoteric harmony of Keane, the bombastic theatrics of Queen and the emotive pop power of Jimmy Eat World, Kidnap Kings has emerged with an astonishing, head-turning debut for the ages.
Davin's brother Seth provides guitar and backing vocals, Matt Broadbent plays bass and Allen Maier lays down the drums. "Essentially I suppose you could say that the band sprung from guys who do nothing except play music gettting together to start their favorite band," Sebastian surmises. "While we were making this record and before it, my brother had his own band, Allen and I play covers in a different band... We all realized we don't want to do anything but play music."
Working effortlessly alongside the quartet's accomplished musicianship is a near philosophical sense of insight and observation. To wit: The night is filled with many people, wandering from place to place. Equally engaged and disconnected, socializing and philosophizing, courting and cavorting.
Who are all of these people? Where do they come from? Where do they go? What are they looking to obtain? This kind of pondering has given birth to a fantastic batch of songs from one of the most striking rock n' roll outfits to emerge from the Midwest in recent memory. "Night Love," one of the tracks on their debut, is emblematic of Kidnap Kings take on the world around them.
"It holds a special place in my heart because it's a love song written to the night life of Minneapolis," explains Sebastian. "Many nights of wandering around and people watching and wondering what it is that keeps people coming out every night, what kind of connections and how those connections get made and why."
The rest of the group's record is similarly comprised of filler-free material. "Anything She Wants" is based on a riff that kicked around in the attic of the singer's mind for years. "Suburban Life" is full of movements, like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" or Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." There's "Flashing Lights and Sound," a haphazard collection of crazy ideas with a big and epic feel. "It's a roller coaster ride," Sebastian says, with a laugh. "It's two minutes and you're like, 'What the hell just happened?"
Overall it makes for a record, and a band, that people will mark chapters of their lives with. "I would like people to say that is one of their favorite records to listen to throughout different times of their life," Davin says, pointing to records in his own life like the self-titled Third Eye Blind album. "I loved it when I got it and I found different ways to love it throughout different points in my life. I'd love to have that impact with people who listen to our band, where they feel like they know the band and have a conneciton with the band, even after the band isn't around any longer."
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