Kingswood Home

During the lockdowns of 2020, Kingswood released both their third album, Juveniles, and a surprise companion country-themed reimagining entitled Reveries. Some of that makeover has certainly stuck with the Melbourne quartet on Home, which sees Kingswood’s one-time alt-rock broadening into a rootsy proposition that could work equally well in Nashville. Recorded on a ranch in rural Queensland, the album features more rustic turns like “Heartbreak Ain’t Gold” and the campfire-ready acoustic number “Burning Holes”. Vocalist Fergus Linacre taps into soulful flourishes on “Mercy”, while lead guitarist Alex Laska fronts a jam session for the climax of “One Too Many Times”. A few guest guitarists augment the band’s attack here, including American blues rocker Jared James Nichols (as heard on the ZZ Top flashback “Last One’s Kicking In”) and Aussie guitarist Shane Reilly (the dark and gritty “God & Gun”).