Kings of Leon are back with a gentle, laid-back album. The 2000s Southern rockers-turned-stadium headliners have returned with their 10th studio album, O My Beloved, and it all started with a game of tag.
In spring 2025, frontman Caleb Followill broke his foot while playing tag with his children, forcing the band to cancel planned tour dates in the U.S. and Europe. At first, the injury left him wallowing in self-pity and guilt over letting everyone down, he told Billboard. “That foot injury was a midlife crisis kind of deal,” he admitted.
Stuck at home, Followill eventually picked up his guitar. The first song that came out was “My Whole World,” which became the album’s lead single. He said writing it felt therapeutic, like he was finally working through something he had buried, and the songs that followed carried that same feeling.
The material was a far cry from the high-energy hits that made the band famous, like “Molly’s Chambers”, “King of the Rodeo”, and “Sex on Fire”. Followill expected his bandmates, his brothers Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew, to push back and steer things toward the up-tempo rock fans expect. Instead, the whole band agreed it was time to let the songs shine.
The result is a 13-track album that’s softer and more reflective than the band’s past catalog, and the first the group has produced on its own. Recorded at the band’s Nashville studio, the album even features the sound of passing trains rattling the walls, imperfections the band chose to keep.
At its heart, O My Beloved is about gratitude, a word Followill admitted he uses a lot but can’t find a better one for. While writing, he found himself reflecting on the band’s accomplishments and on who they’ve become as men and fathers, and he said the group now loves making music more than it ever has previously.
Fans will soon get to hear the new songs live. Kings of Leon kick off a North American tour on May 8 in Bristow, Va., with a final leg wrapping Oct. 15 at Madison Square Garden. Followill hinted the shows could include stripped-down versions of songs, or even a stripped-down set within the set.
For a band that’s played a thousand concerts, a broken foot turned out to be the unexpected push toward its most introspective record yet.
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