Tiny Kingdoms solidifies its pop-rock sound with new single, video 'All I Know'

After last May's release of the brightly spirited "Daydream," Tiny Kingdoms is busting out with an early entry for 2021's summer anthem.

And when I say busting out, I mean it. Friday's release of the new single, "All I Know," and video has been in the works since last summer, when the song was first recorded. And the band is excited for it to finally see the light of day.

"I'm stoked on it for sure," said drummer Jake Newling. "It's been a minute, which is kind of crazy."

In the song, Tiny Kingdoms - Nico Muira of the Northwest suburbs, Newling and Nick Collis of the Lombard/Villa Park area and Ryan Mitchell of Schaumburg - continues taking the band's sound in a new direction. In the past, Tiny Kingdoms' songs have lived comfortably in the recesses on the edge of the punk genre. But with "Daydream," and now "All I Know," the band is veering into more radio-friendly territory with poppier-sounding vocals backed by guitar-tickling rock riffs.

"We're moving even more in that direction, incorporating pop-rock elements and these big serious choruses," Newling said. "And Nico's lyricism has definitely gone to a whole other level, which is awesome."

Rich with Muira's dynamic and energetic vocals joyfully layered over dancing guitars and a catchy punk beat, the song is a great showcase for Tiny Kingdoms's new direction.

The entire band contributed to the new song and the band's evolving sound, despite spending most of last year separated by the pandemic.

"We took a break from getting together for a bit going back to last year, when (COVID-19) numbers were really ticking up and panic was at an all-time high," Newling said. "We kind of wrote on our own. We would get together on calls and Discord and stuff like that. Just kind of shoot around ideas of what we wanted to do."

But with the vaccines rolling out and band members playing it safe, Newling said they started to feel better meeting regularly again.

"We've been getting together and writing again, which has been cool," he said. "We mask up and try to be as safe as we possibly can."

"All I Know" is the first of two singles due out the first half of this year. The band is heading back into the studio in two weeks to record three more songs for a full EP in the works for the fall.

Friday's single is also accompanied by a performance video, shot in a South Side home/art space by Alex Zarek.

And while the band is performing together in the video, Newling said it's no replacement for a live show.

"We're so compelled to get out and play, it's like, man, the first show we can get we'll take," he said. "But there's definitely been a lot of other options, viable options, that have opened up to artists during this time, which has been really cool to see."