Max Levy is the Brighton/Oxford-based songwriter behind King of Cats. Working Out sees him team up with Owen Williams from Joanna Gruesome (drums) and Adam Cave to record an album that focuses on his feelings on body image and exercise.
“Most of the songs have something to do with the fear of being trapped in a feeble body, dreams of a muscular form and the relationship between one’s environment, one’s body and one’s being an idiot. I don’t work out a lot, but I think about it often.”
If that sounds weird or in any way preachy, rest assured Working Out is only one of those things. The first single sees a nice dose of humour to back things up. “I think it sounds like a little dog or other animal trying to express malfunctions.” Levy told me in an email. “It also kinda sounds a little bit like scout niblett and saetia, but not really.”
The first single ‘Dead Lamb’ is available now and seems to be pretty close to the comparisons above. Although, rather than a small dog, I’d compare his vocals to halfway between Daniel Johston and Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/163810613″]
Levy did send me some tour dates with Playlounge which I fully intended to share with you. Unfortunately, due to us being horrible, inefficient people, the tour ended earlier this week.
Working Out will be released on Art is Hard and Reeks of Effort on the 17th November. You can pre-order it here.