Unmasking Florida’s Mysterious Indie Electronic Duo, King Complex

It’s safe to say that I spend a good amount of time at High Dive scoping out the local music offerings of Gainesville and I’ve seen quite a few bands grace that stage. I typically have a pretty solid idea of what kind of show I’m in for, but no other group than King Complex has so vastly blown my expectations.

A lot of musicians fixate solely on the auditory aspect of their performance. They play satisfying music, but that’s it. King Complex goes beyond the surface-level of entertainment and has this rare ability to flood the audience’s senses; truly creating a show that locks your attention on them.

Their performance style is captivating beyond escape. The hallmark of this indie electronic duo is the mystery created by not being able to see their faces. Suit clad and unidentifiable, the crowd is left to wonder who these artists are.

Frontman Bracher Brown and drummer Cody Doss came together to form King Complex following a series of drunken party conversations and a string of former band experiences. The rest is history. Drawing the inspiration to wear suits from The Beatles, the duo devised the almost villain-like personas they take on on-stage. Offstage however, they couldn’t be more easygoing and fun to talk with.

Regarding the costumes, Doss said, “It arose out of how the music sounded. I think it was just a side effect of the music we were writing and it’s fun.” He gets in to character by thinking of himself as an angry business man who is fed up with the world, which translates in to some of their heavier songs.

King Complex goes beyond the surface-level of entertainment and has this rare ability to flood the audience’s senses; truly creating a show that locks your attention on them.

Brown continued by saying, “It feels like there’s less pressure to be an entertainer, not that that’s not the idea, I just feel like I have a less difficult time relaxing and enjoying the music.”

The whole vibe that King Complex gives off plays to their benefit as performers and animates the imagination of an audience. Now, two albums deep, listeners can hear the experimentation that has led the duo to their current sound. Earlier songs, like “Made in America,” are full of this dark-angsty energy, while their newest album Phase// makes you feel like you’re floating through space and loving every second of it.

I asked the guys where they imagine people are at when they’re listening to King Complex and they agreed that the second album is perfect for the beach at nighttime between the hours of 11 and 1.  I haven’t made it out to the beach yet to test this theory, but I can confirm that their music is great for blasting in the car heading down the freeway.

It feels like there’s less pressure to be an entertainer, not that that’s not the idea, I just feel like I have a less difficult time relaxing and enjoying the music.

Although the duo is based out of St. Petersburg, they are going to be all over the state of Florida within the next few weeks. Working from their home to Ft. Lauderdale, to Orlando, King Complex will be returning to High Dive in Gainesville on January 26.

You can find out more about their shows and tickets on their website or on their Facebook.

Whether you want to listen from the beach, the car, work, the middle of class, you name it, King Complex’s music can be found on Spotify.

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