January 30, 2012 | 2:16 PM | By

Philly Local Philes: DRGN King’s “Barbarians”

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Downloads, Events, DRGN King, Johnny Brenda's, Philly Local Philes

With each new song they drop, I get all the more antsy to hear DRGN King‘s debut full length Paragraph Nights. The Philly-based eclectic pop four-piece plans to release the album later on this spring, but it’s been teasing us with songs since September. A few weeks ago, the band unveiled the latest track from the record, “Barbarians,” featured in today’s XPN2 Philly Local Phile. Of the five songs the band has shared to date—the anthemic single “Holy Ghost,” the somber title track, and two tracks debuted in DRGN King’s Key Studio Session, “Caught Down” and “Lookin’ At You”—this number is easily the darkest, the most introverted, the most intense. Opening on a whirring sci-fi synth drone, singer-guitarist and co-songwriter Dominic Angelella’s pensive vocals make a fierce entrance amid static pops and unsettling sounds. The band kicks in at just about the 50-second mark, and we’re into a grim rocker reminiscent of Fragile-era Nine Inch Nails. Which might not be quite the reference point Angelella and Ritz Reynolds had in mind, but one thing about both Reznor and King – they both have an undeniable affinity for Prince. Stream or download “Barbarians” below, and catch DRGN King live this Thursday, Feb. 2, when it plays Johnny Brenda’s with Nicos Gun and Fort Lean.