The debut EP from Athens punks the Rodney Kings was a messy lo-fi affair long on scrappy DIY energy and fuck-all belligerence and short on anything remotely resembling civility or restraint. For much of 2012 and 2013, they were one of the city’s most visceral and notorious groups, a three-man cabal of dissident rabble-rousers unleashing flesh-eating waves of scabrous garage rock and hardcore at sweat-soaked basement shows.

Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Reeth Dasgupta, bassist Cameron Evers, and drummer Max Wang, the group would eventually stall and come to a halt within a couple years of releasing their debut; a quiet and unceremonious end to a band hell-bent on making the most vicious and abrasive racket possible. For a time there was bad blood between some members, and for all their promise, the trio seemed destined to be remembered as nothing more than a tiny footnote in Athens’ storied musical history.

But then last week, the band surprise dropped a blistering new single, “Black Out,” the lead track from their forthcoming sophomore EP, Friday Night with… The Rodney Kings. It was a triumphant return, full of filthy riffs and spiked aggression, while maintaining a tunefulness and clarity of vision that was often missing on their slapdash debut. If there were any doubts about the trio’s ability to recapture the manic intensity of their formative years, those fears were summarily squashed.

And now today we’re stoked to premiere “I’m Watching You,” the second track to be revealed off their upcoming EP. It’s a classic punk ripper, short and fast, with frontal-attack guitars that seem intent on burning down everything in their path. The vocals, angry, rough, and pretty much inscrutable until the ragged mantra of a chorus kicks in, are both exactly what you would expect and everything you want to hear. In short: The Rodney Kings are back and they sound more thrilling, combative, and focused than ever.

In light of their unexpected but welcome return, I took the opportunity to reach out to the group to get an idea of why the band disappeared from the scene and what we could expect from them now that they’re back. Here’s what they had to say:

It’s been over three years since you released your debut EP. Why such a long gap?

Max Wang: To be honest there have been multiple things. Firstly, Cameron went off to Berlin to focus on his other music project, Sad Dads, while also juggling grad school, so we decided to wait. Reeth went away as well, but on more of spiritual rite of sorts … or at least that is how he explained it to me. I didn’t talk to him for a while after we released our first EP. I then moved here to Atlanta to work in the movie industry, but always hoping and waiting for his return. I didn’t have the heart to tell him to come back to be in a band with me, you know. Two years later he came back stronger and more ambitious than ever — like a wolf in mid-winter. He had a long black mane now up and around his face and mouth, his guitar was at level 99 and rising. I knew then we were ready to make our next EP.

He later developed a side-project called Christfuck, which I wasn’t too keen on. But after a while, the three of us came together at Go Bar one night and decided to pick up where we left off. Our solidarity is through the roof right now.

Musically, how has the band changed over that time?

Cameron Evers: The band has changed from a garage punk consensus to different silos of songwriting. The songs in which Reeth led the creation have leaned harder and heavier than typical ’60s garage. Mine have gone back into ’80s hardcore. Max maintains the garage core of the band, writing “Throw Your Dog,” which was released in a 2013 comp titled Patchwork Mixtape with Birdhouse Collective bands Green Gerry, Muuy Biien, Gyps, among others.

Reeth Dasgupta: These songs have been tested and toured on substantially. Our first EP was done in a month, in a friend’s house, with songs that we had written pretty haphazardly. Songs “Black Out” and “I’m Watching You” we have been gigging since the times we were promoting our debut four years ago.

MW: They’ve gotten us to New York and back.

How many songs will there be on the new EP?

MW: 5

Why did you decide to release a single a week versus unveiling the whole EP at once?

MW: We’ve actually decided to release Friday Night with… The Rodney Kings in two parts. First part in February, second in March. We will have a music video to release alongside part two, which we are excited about.

What are your plans for 2016?

CE: The music video is one thing, directed by our friend Thomas Bauer that will span 2-3 songs, a real epic.

MW: And a possible tour.

RD: We will probably get drunk at some point. Maybe together. #2016.

More Info
Bandcamp: therodneykings.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @therodneykings