Interview: Brie Ng Schwartz
Alternative Salt Lake darlings Crooked Kings wrapped up their East Coast tour dates this week after a month-long run on the road. Consisting of Ollie Martin (lead vocals/guitar), Paul Colgan (guitar), David Massey (keys), Matt Monoson (bass), and Quinn Casper (drums), the five-piece band is enjoying its new sonic era. His latest record, in another life, Symbolic of a reinvention for the group. in one instagram post From the group in September of 2025, the group looked at the new chapter that their next era would encompass: one that was not focused on chasing trends, but on their sound and love of community.
“Rancher’s Daughter”first single off in another life, A concise, acoustic forward ballad was presented that would accompany the larger project. The album fully explores themes surrounding social media addiction and doom scrolling, drinking and drug use, and self-reflection in relationships. Their spontaneous beats and alternative influences are similar to bands like The Men and The Cab presenting an emotional, self-reflective approach to songwriting and an easy listening experience, a counter to many pop-punk peers.
We had a chance to meet the band a week before they hit the road, and we were front and center at their show at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall. Ahead of the tour, we discussed what fans can expect, the new album, collaborations, and the thriving alternative community in Salt Lake and Utah at large.
Your latest album, In another lifeOut now! How did this album come about?
Ollie: We had some writing sessions around Los Angeles and we ended up writing with someone named Yves Rothman. When we wrote with him, we connected very well on a personal and sonic basis. We went to Sunset Sound where he was recording at the time. Every great record has been recorded at Sunset Sound, so we were already giddy to be in the same room. From that very moment we all had a huge crush on him as a producer and a writer. This is the core of the album.
What do you all look for in partners other than your five?
quinn:What really resonated for us with Yves was the cheerleader. If you watch these documentaries with the Beatles and Radiohead, their producers are kind of the sixth person in line, encouraging them and cheering them on.
Dave: It helps us to have a strong opinion in the room, to have a strong voice that we can help. When there are five of us we won’t always agree. So it’s good to have someone who can listen to you and know what they like. This is a support for us.
What do you all value most in collaborating with each other?
Matt: As a band, we really look to each other for guidance on our parts. We have a little bit of impostor syndrome when we write something and it’s like, “Is this good? I don’t know if this is good.” And our bandmates reassure us and say, “No, it’s great.” Or help you and say, “That’s good, but what if you did this or added something else to that?” As a friendly group we are democratic. We were friends before, so I guess we already knew how to communicate. That doesn’t mean the interactions are always happy, but I think we’re always happy with the product in the end.
quinn: : The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I think being in a band is a beautiful thing. We’re all just best friends. Even if we disagree on something at the end of the day, we’re just having a beer about it and we’re excited about the end product.
What are you most excited about about your current tour? Do you have a favorite city when you’re on the road?
Oli: I’m excited to be in the van with people and hit the road. I think it’s a unique experience to travel and see all these fun cities, places you’ve never been before.
Matt: I’m really excited to get back to the East Coast. There is much more to be found in cities. You’ll find these little towns with little cafes. The last time we were on the East Coast was 2023, so it feels like forever ago. We played Montreal and it was amazing the last time we were there. Canadians love us. We love Canada. That’s because they’re so good. They are very polite in telling us that we are worthless.
I’m learning more about the Utah music scene. Between all of you, and The Aces, who I met last year. They’re from Provo and shared that they weren’t necessarily hometown darlings, but their show created an essential community in Utah. What would you say your hometown show is like when you’re on tour?
dave I wouldn’t necessarily call us hometown darlings, but I think we get a good reception here. If you probably ask anyone in the local scene, we might not be the first band that comes to their mind, but it’s nice to feel like you have a home base and it feels like you’re there and people come and give you that support and love.
Oli: This is a little weird, but yesterday my coworker said he was working at a bar and he overheard people talking about their favorite local band. I did not tell you this. The Crooked Kings were in this conversation, a group of people agreed. He said we were the best Utah band.
dave: We desperately need words of affirmation. There is a theme running through this interview.
We all need words of affirmation, especially as creative people!
Matt: With every hometown show, you get to see friends and family. You go on tour and you meet great people, but it’s always the band you’re touring with. So it’s always nice if we drive through Salt Lake, we get a chance to meet our girlfriends and parents.
As a rock band from Salt Lake, are you guys fans of the movie SLC Punk?
Dave: Actually, we need to see it on tour. We’ve always talked about seeing it.
Oli: I haven’t seen it in a long time!
Do you think it gives an accurate picture of the scene these days?
Oli: In the spirit of this, there’s a really cool DIY scene here. There are a lot of artists here, whether they’re playing Kilby Court, The State Rooms and all these proper venues or not, there’s a really fantastic underground culture and just musical existence.
Dave: The sense of community in Salt Lake is really fun. The last time we played in Salt Lake, we actually opened for The Happy Fits. These kids came to us later and they were students from the local high school. They were very excited and extremely excited to talk to us. I work at a coffee shop, a drive-thru, and they’ve been there a few times and play with the Crooked Kings when they come.
Are there any songs in particular? in another life Are you excited to play live?
Matt: The last single we released was “Damage Control”. It has a really fun chorus, so I’m excited to see how it actually plays out live. We’ve never played it before, but even when we were writing it, we were imagining playing it live. We could see the crowd. We can feel the energy.
What else can fans expect from the live shows?
Dave: All hits. We are excited. We are well rested. We’ve been in Salt Lake for basically six or seven months non-stop now. You can expect us to all be 10 out of 10 on the energy scale.
Quinn: Like I said, we also haven’t headlined in a while, but we’ve played a lot of shows over the last year and a half and are really excited to play for our fans and give it our all.
Matt: We’re also really excited to play this new album. We wrote these songs while playing them live, so we’re really excited to bring that energy to the venue.
The Crooked Kings have brought Utah sunshine from Montreal to South Carolina this spring, and they’re sure to keep bringing the heat with everything they’ve got this year. We can’t wait to see how this group of friends continue to bring their spontaneous energy and dynamic tunes to the current alternative scene. Be sure to catch them on their remaining dates In another life journey.
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