It’s hard to believe it’s barely been two years since Royal Blood last put out an album. And it was a great one at that! The pandemic must have been fortuitous for them though, because they even managed to release a few singles before presenting the world with their fourth full length album, Back to the Water Below.
The direction this album took was a smart one. After likely reeling in lots of fans with the dance-esque tunes of Typhoons, this reminds me more of the work off of their debut album. With that being said, there also was a certain degree of dynamism to all of the tracks offered up. I don’t know how many more new fans this would bring in, but it’s certainly got a gratifying sound that demands repeated listens. I learned that something else unique about this album was that it was produced solely by the band. In the past, they’ve had a musician or producer step in here and there, but they took full control of this album and I have to say that it works for them! I wonder if this is the formula they will be sticking to in the future?
Anyway, the album itself is a banger from top to bottom. Even the “slower” tracks have the ability to lull you in with some hypnotic beats, but then keeps you there while it picks up the pace or pummels you with the lyrics. This couldn’t be more true for the second single, “Pull Me Through,” which I believe I reviewed with much hesitance. Well, I’m an idiot, and this song is incredible. There are a handful of other songs off the record that present a similar tempo, while others mimic the tempo of lead single, “Mountains at Midnight.” Everything else kind of falls somewhere in between, but everything was perfectly placed to create a really cohesive body of work.
While there’s plenty of originality on this record, I felt that some songs felt really influenced by other artists. For example, “The Firing Line” sounds like it picked up right where Bad Flowers’ “Heroin” left off, only if they mixed it then with the Foo Fighters. That’s pretty cool if you think about it, though. Similarly, “There Goes My Cool” could have easily been a song that Queen and The Beatles collaborated on someday. Maybe that’s why it’s one of my favorites off the record. Finally, the closing track, “Waves” reminded me of something that Phantogram could have concocted over the course of their career, but then the chorus brought me straight to Joywave’s “Half Your Age.” Again, really cool!
Royal Blood is fully deserving of your time, so what better way than to start with a brand new record?! If that’s not convincing enough, then please at least give “Shiner in the Dark” a spin. It will be stuck in your head for days. In a good way.