It’s been half a century since UK punk popped like a puss-filled pimple, and who’d have thought a genre powered by such frenetic energy would have lasted to the present day? However, punk’s ability to shapeshift and metastasise has ensured its longevity, but no offshoot carries the original flame quite like folk-punk. Two explosive genres fused into one explosive mix, it’s best exemplified by Minneapolis crew Boiled In Lead, a forward-facing quartet who pull elements worldbeat, Americana and alternative rock into their sphere (I guess you’d call them folk-post-punk), they’re the natural successors to Fairport Convention and have a legacy that will echo throughout the years. But Boiled In Lead are very much of the now and latest album, King Of The Dogwoods, presents a dozen rebel rousing tracks that will sate older fans and attract many new admirers.

Putting a label on Boiled In Lead would be doing them a big disservice; whilst folk-punk is undoubtedly their bread and butter, the band soak up various influences, absorbing them into their whole, making King Of The Dogwoods a diverse album with no two songs inhabiting the same sonic space. Yet, the band’s strong core ensures that things don’t get too eclectic, but there’s an effortless crossover appeal that will pull a diverse range of fans into their orbit. Case in point being the opening (and title) track, a song that bristles with so much energy you fear it may have overdosed on amphetamine. Like a raging tempest feeding off its own energy, it takes on form as it progresses, becoming a tornado that sucks everything that is not nailed down into its orbit. However, those expecting a paint-by-numbers affair will have their illusions shattered by the following ‘Bučimiš’, a song of many suites that’s almost progressive in nature: it never sits still, constantly revolving and evolving, taking on new form and keeping the listener second guessing. It’s the type of song that could have come from the pen of prog rockers Rush (had they been schooled in folk-punk) and as a foreshadow of what’s to come, suggests you always expect the unexpected.

The multifaceted nature of King Of The Dogwoods means that one listen (perhaps one lifetime) is never enough to explore all its nooks and crannies, but when the songs are as good as ‘Je T’aime, Helena’ repeat plays are never a chore. It’s the band’s strong core that allows them to veer down musical highways and byways, yet there’s always that gravitational pull back to their roots which ensures King Of The Dogwoods doesn’t become an eclectic musical stew. It means the stark, wintery ‘Winifer Odd’ sits next to the warm, golden hues of ‘Bold Lovell’ quite effortlessly and are drawn together by their restless energy. It ensures these songs sparkle and fizz, and as such have a life-affirming quality; no matter what obstacles you face, with ‘Haley’s Reels’ in your arsenal, you’ll plough right through them. Certainly not made for somnambulists, King Of The Dogwoods is the type of record and will have all but the frail and infirm strutting their stuff and breaking out the air fiddle.

For over four decades Boiled In Lead have been forging new ground and King Of The Dogwoods suggests there’s much more territory to be mapped.

• King Of The Dogwoods is released via Omnium Records on 20th March 2026.

• Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Channel

Track List:

1. The King Of The Dogwoods

2. Bučimiš

3. Slip Jigs

4. (I’ll Sing You) “Sail Away, Ladies”

5. Haley’s Reels

6. Je T’aime, Helena

7. Winifer Odd

8. Bold Lovell

9. Keshenever Bulgar

10. Adje Jano

11. Fast Reels

12. Love, Farewell