UK alternative pop 4-piece Alvarez Kings has just released a new single titled "Words I Couldn't Say" which is now streaming everywhere. The four lads from South Yorkshire, UK who gleefully share their moniker with an infamous old school South American gang, Alvarez Kings summon pop power through timeless analog synth and guitar magic.

Vocalist Simon Thompson tells PopMatters, "The song came about when I was turning our spare room at home into our baby's nursery as the acoustics were awesome. I was writing songs off of the back of some pretty extensive touring over the years. There were definitely some issues with alcohol and substance abuse as a result, which impacted heavily on relationships. It's not necessarily an autobiography or about one person in particular. It's a story of an uncontrollable collision course of self-destruction from drug and alcohol abuse, the desolation of a failed relationship, and self-blame. 'Words I Couldn't Say' is the burden of the truth and a lie that is too heavy to carry."

 The quartet—brothers Simon [vocals, guitar] and Paul Thompson [bass, keys, backup vocals], Aidan Thompson [guitar, keys, production], and Richard Walker [drums, samples, pads]—has quietly built up an international buzz since their 2012 formation.

BBC Radio proclaimed “No Resolve” the “Single of the Year,” while they impressed audiences at Isle of Wight and O2 Wireless Festival in addition to show-stopping stints on the Vans Warped Tour in 2013 and 2015 and support tours with Melanie Martinez, PVRIS, and Echosmith. Their 2015 EP, 'Fear To Feel', expanded their foothold in the U.S. Spotify featured the title track on coveted playlists such as The Indie Mix and Ultimate Indie Playlist, notching 40K streams in less than 12 hours and eventually amassing over 6M and counting. Meanwhile, they drew acclaim from Billboard, Huffington Post, Ones To Watch and more.

In 2016 the band signed their first record deal with Warner Bros and, preceded by the introductory focus track “Sleepwalking Pt.II”, released their full-length debut, 'Somewhere Between' in 2017. Recorded by Grammy Award-winning producer Carlos De La Garza [Paramore, M83] and recorded at Ocean Studios in LA the album was received with glowing reviews.

Up until 2018, the band toured their debut extensively, playing sold-out headline shows across Europe, UK and the United States along with some of their biggest festival appearances to date including Firefly and Summerfest. In 2019 they began working on their second studio album, which is currently anticipated for a 2020 release.

 

COLUMNS

Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...7/10/25

"Well, I certainly hope so, it seems like it is," laughed Blues Traveler bassist Ben Wilson as he discussed what the band has been up to and their preparations before they hit the road once again for a Summer tour. "The band has been quite active over the years through touring and we managed to continue to record some records. We've done two kinds of covers records, the first one was a blues record which actually got nominated for a Grammy which was pretty cool and the next one, we did some soul covers. That one wasn't quite as well received but it was sure fun to make. So, it's been really cool; you have this massive success for a decade or so and then you kind of dip below that cultural Gestalt line where you're just kind of bubbling below the surface and you can do just fine there even though you're not on the cover of "The Rolling Stone" and that's kind of what we've been doing. We've had a good run, it has been fantastic and these summer tours where we get together with these other kind of bands of similar eras with similar kinds of hits; we're very fortunate as kind of a neo-hippie jam band from that era that kind of bucked some of the trends that were going on at the time but we were lucky enough to have a couple of hits and that has allowed us to have kind of a different career than just the straight jam bands do; not that that wouldn't be awesome as well because obviously many of them are doing just fine but it's just a slightly different road but it has been wonderful. We didn't rehearse a whole lot because we've been playing together for 38 years but things are good and we're stoked for this upcoming tour." 

---

This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from July 8-14, 2025

---

The Newton Theatre presents Dirty Deeds - The AC/DC Experience

---

Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Golden Cage" by Cranston Dean