Review Summary: For the distracted listener that’s playing the album on shuffle, or perhaps, hearing snippets between drunken banter at their go-to pub, the new Royal Blood might "rock." But sober up, grab a cup coffee and some headphones, and the album falls apart.
'Rock and Roll is dead’- the declaration has been echoed by countless musicians since the genre’s inception, and many still proclaim its death to this very day. But common-sense practitioners will cite mainstream acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Death From Above 1979, and Manchester Orchestra as proof the genre is still alive and kicking. Some would even go as far as to mention newcomers, Royal Blood, in the same breath.
The hard rock duo, composed of Mike Kerr (bass/vocals) and Ben Thatcher (drums), showed potential with blistering songs like “Out of the Black” off their 2014 self-titled debut. The group garnered high praise from legends like Jimmy Page and a nod from drummer Matt Helders of the Arctic Monkeys, who sported a Royal Blood t-shirt on tour. The band was even nominated for a Mercury prize for best album in 2014. Unfortunately, all the hype and fanfare this time around will not distract from the fact their latest outing,
How Did We Get So Dark?, offers little to nothing new to the genre.
To the distracted listener that’s playing the album on shuffle, or perhaps, hearing snippets between drunken banter at their go-to pub, these songs might sound like they "rock." After all, the elements are there. There’s distorted bass, hard hitting drums, and big choruses; add in slick production from Tom Dalgety and Jolyon Thomas for this briskly paced 34-minute LP and the illusion is set. But sober up, grab a cup of coffee and some headphones, and the album falls apart completely.
The album starts off strong with “How Did We Get So Dark” which barrels into the big single, “Lights Out.” The latter effectively uses the loud quiet loud dynamic, making the crisp cymbal crashes and roaring riff transitioning into the chorus feel gigantic- the song’s ‘yeah’s’ definitely feel warranted. “She’s Creeping,” slows the pace down to a slick crawl into uncertainty before busting into a tastefully focused funk groove.
Sadly, these early tracks are the only times where the instrumentation culminates in a sound that feels bigger than the two band members. What’s to follow ranges from middling to completely jarring.
The songs that feel bare exercise too much restraint. Too many times breakdowns feel like they’re leading to a certain climax – a reckless guitar solo, falling down the stairs drum break – but instead redirect back to a chorus or verse, leaving the track feeling overwound (“Hole in Your Heart,” “Don’t Tell”).
Others miss the mark completely. The way the bass follows the vocal melody note for note in parts of “Only Lie When I Love You” and “Hookline and Sinker” is excruciating (listen to a cat grind its teeth against a chalkboard for similar results). The drums are forced to stomp along as if to confirm, “Yes, this is really happening.” At best this choice is cheeky, at worst downright obnoxious.
But these challenges are minuscule in comparison to the real beast here- Kerr’s lyrics. How many tracks can you spew vague tales about halfhearted romance? Apparently, nearly all of them. Hollow relationships can be an interesting subject, but when the ‘lovers’ characteristics equate to the complexity of stick figures, there's a problem.*“Where Are You Now” is the worst offender here. It’s the tale of “honest boy” meets “honest girl” and it doesn’t work out because “luck” wasn’t on their side (Great story, right?). *The track doesn’t really go on to specify the circumstances, but we do get hints on how the fall out has affected the speaker- “When I think about it I get blue.” *
It’d be childish to write off Royal Blood as a Death From Above 1979 tribute band, but at the same time, it’d be equally foolish to deny they borrow elements from them, Queens of the Stone Age, and Arctic Monkeys in hopes of forging their own sound. Instead, their reluctance to push boundaries leaves them with a sound that’s at best middling. **
So, is rock dead? No, but
How Did We Get So Dark? won’t be helping anyone’s case.*
