Kings of Leon – Supersoaker

It’s Nerf or nothing!

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[4.78]Britt Alderfer: Here’s your criminally underthought late-summer anthem of 2013 (please, no). I found myself enjoying the ringing tones of the intro, but as soon as Caleb Followill started singing I was like “ugh” and that was that. He could dial it down several notches and still sound like someone was pounding him in the kidneys.
[3]

Anthony Easton: For Allman Brothers-lite, the Kings of Leon sure know how to string together a fairly catchy melody.
[6]

Alfred Soto: The title is accurate: Caleb Followill soaks the rickety song in bluster and pomp. C’mon, guys — you gotta do better if the Australians are gonna reward you.
[3]

Iain Mew: There’s a lot to like here, especially the burbling guitar and a sound which hits the new wave/new rock crossover spot in a way that “Sex on Fire” was too excited to manage. However, I’m trying to imagine a way in which someone could sing a chorus as stupid as “I’m a supersoaker/Red white and blew them all away” and not have it ruin a song and I’m struggling. Caleb Followill’s puffed-up attempt at being casual definitely doesn’t cut it.
[5]

Katherine St Asaph: A red-white-and-blue supersoaker spewing banjo-tars and Followill yarls all over sentimental girls. God bless America.
[3]

Patrick St. Michel: It would be lot easier to get behind these stadium/festival shout-alongs if every single one of them didn’t sound like Kings Of Leon were fitting in as many innuendos as they could into each number. “Supersoaker” has a lot of lines like that — the title alone probably isn’t referring literally to a water gun — and it takes away from the anthemic-ness the band are trying to get across with the music. Still, it’s tough not to get behind “Supersoaker”‘s chug and it’s a good hook. Bonus point for pissing off Wavves.
[6]

Brad Shoup: Ragged-making rhythm work from Caleb Followill, with a vocal approach to match. It’s a toe-tapper in the Pete Yorn mold, one of those slightly scuffed rockers written in some alcoholic thrall. It’s not anthemic — thank God for that — but neither is it tired, just bleary.
[6]

Edward Okulicz: The chorus is actually about as good as that of “Use Somebody” but dare I suggest that if you’re going to pick a toy whose name carries a little snicker-worthy sexual subtext, that you actually play with it? I’m feeling this weird longingness, not empowerment, in those wailed long notes. Plus it’s not as if the rest of the song does anything. Also is it too late to record a B-side called “Hot Wheels” to go along with it?
[5]

John Seroff: Pleasant enough for guitar heroics, but I have the sneaking suspicion it’s going to really piss me off when I’m forced to listen to frat boy nation singscreaming the chorus out the door of every bar ever. Consider this score cautiously optimistic; should this become 2013’s “No Rain,” please recount me as a 4.
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