Deep In Society’s Hole

King Krule “Underclass”

Archy Marshall’s early songs as King Krule followed tighter, more traditional songwriting trajectories but as he’s moved along he’s drifted towards less obvious structures that nevertheless follow intuitive emotional paths. “Underclass” sounds almost improvisational, like Marshall’s just writing a jazzy ballad along with his train of thought as he ponders his feelings about a relationship that keeps drawing him in despite his apparent ambivalence. The form suits the theme in as much as his character here is passive and seems to just go along with the moment despite his better judgment, and so you get this contrast of more tentative chord changes at the start, and a more loose and swaying section with a saxophone lead once he loosens up a bit. The most interesting trick of the song is in how Marshall conveys all this uncertainty in a song that still sounds incredibly romantic and sexy. “Little did I know I had this feeling,” he sings near the end of it, as if he’s confused to discover the reasons why he falls so easily under this person’s sway.

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