The Kooks — If They Could Only Know

JUL 01 2025 · 12:00

The Kooks — If They Could Only Know (2025) Director: Sean Hagan Era: Post-Pandemic Indie Revival (2023–2025) - UK guitar bands reclaiming arena-scale ambition through introspective songwriting and warm analogue-adjacent aesthetics, riding TikTok-driven catalogue rediscovery High curatorial value as a time-stamped document of The Kooks' artistic and commercial reinvention in 2025, marking their transition to Virgin Music Group and their largest UK headline milestone. The video encapsulates the aesthetic tensions of mid-2020s British indie — kinetic editing pace, warm analogue-nostalgic colour, and emotionally grounded realist performance — making it a useful reference point for the genre's evolving visual language. Confirmed director credit and label provenance make this a well-documented archival entry. Context: Released on May 9, 2025, the video accompanies the lead single from The Kooks' seventh studio album Never/Know — their first release on Virgin Music Group and a self-produced return to creative identity. The song reflects on generational loss and familial connection, thematically resonating with a broader 2025 cultural moment of post-pandemic reflection and reassessment of personal legacy. The Kooks, formed in Brighton in 2004, have experienced a notable second wave of cultural relevance driven by Gen Z TikTok rediscovery alongside their established fanbase, culminating in their largest-ever UK headline show at the O2 Arena. The video's warm, realist aesthetic mirrors the album's stated mission to reconnect with emotional and sonic authenticity. Director notes: Confirmed as director of the official music video for 'If They Could Only Know' by The Kooks, premiered May 9, 2025, coinciding with the release of the album Never/Know on Virgin Music Group (© 2025 Lonely Cat under exclusive licence to Virgin Music Group). The video serves as the album's release-day visual centrepiece. No further production-specific details (crew, location, budget) are documented in available sources.