Set to a stinger of a melody that quickly finds a rock n’ roll-inspired groove to get in front of, “Cadillac” from King Falcon isn’t the first fiery melodic rock song to have caught my attention this spring, but it’s one of the few to have been sourced from a purely independent source disinterested in blending in with his contemporaries. Rock music, much like many other genres, is at an interesting crossroads in 2023, and even if you aren’t the biggest fan of its mainstream sound, Michael Rubin’s presentation as a singer/guitarist fronting an old-school rock band just might be enough to get you interested in the style’s future as it rests in the hands of non-major label players.
URL: https://kingfalconband.com/
There’s something really sweet about the cluster of bassline-driven beats beneath the chorus of this track, but without the slice of the strings and keys throughout the song, I think it would have sounded a little more pop-oriented than it does rock. It’s obvious even from a distance that King Falcon can be as versatile as their tastes in music are, and while they’re more intrigued by the vintage American rock songbook than they are any of the others to have influenced their sound, that isn’t preventing some electrifying facets from giving “Cadillac” an added edge a lot of other singles in its genre will be missing this April. You can’t make it big without making big moves along the way, and here, Rubin is showing no hesitation in doing just that beside a pair of players who seem to have his back here.
“Cadillac” plows through its running time like it’s in a race, but when we cross the finish line, it doesn’t sound as though the band is suddenly losing steam. They’ve got some serious muscle with their melodies in this track, and whether they’re stacked with lyrical lashings from Rubin as fierce as they are communicative or simply presented through the kick of King Falcon’s play, this physicality is always at the heart of every evocative harmony and groove in the song. Anyone can rehearse themselves into fitting inside of a mainstream box, but to craft something that no one else is doing – yet sounds familiar enough to immediately attract a following – takes the raw talent of a more exclusive variety.
DOWNLOAD LINK: https://lnk.to/kingfalcon
King Falcon isn’t asking a lot in exchange for the wealth of melodic charisma they unleash in their new single, but instead relying on the ways of the old guard with regards to sharing their gifts with almost anyone willing to listen, and that’s why I think audiences would be foolish to dismiss “Cadillac” as anything other than the diamond in the rough it truly is. I’ve been watching the shifting in aesthetical priorities within the previously insular rock music realm based in New York for a few years now, but with the efforts of Rubin and his band on the table, it should be harder for the establishment to push purity players in service of an ancient craft like these guys are out of the genre completely.
Chadwick Easton