English duo Royal Blood released their third studio album last Friday April 30th titled Typhoons. The album channels the likes of legends, namely the White Stripes and The Killers.
Good Band = Good Music
With Mike Kerr on vocals and bass and Ben Thatcher on drums, this rock duo is simple, but effective. They first appeared on our map with their self-titled debut album Royal Blood, which came out in August 2014. Later, that was followed up in 2017 with their second album How Did We Get So Dark?. Now the group has finally brought us their third record: Typhoons.
This dance-floor, disco rock band has earned two UK chart-topping albums and a 2015 BRIT Award win for Best British Group. Their most popular song to date, which also put them on the map, is “Figure It Out” off their debut album.
This time around they have some pretty great new tracks. Their three headlining singles, “Boilermaker,” “Typhoon,” and “Limbo,” are all songs that grab your attention right away. These three songs dropped a couple weeks before the album with their own music videos.
Now that the album is here, it showcases everything the two musicians have been up to since their departure. Royal Blood is rocking out with a perfect mix of technology to finance their dance rock vibe.
The distorted guitar melodies and punchy drum rhythms are fused together by an electronic sound that makes for an eye-catching style.
Royal Blood’s Typhoon Of Inspiration
The 11-track project draws inspiration and packs in everything the band has been working for over the past four years.
Typhoons retools their sound for the dance floor, putting grungy riffs to four-to-the-floor beats. It’s a sound they’ve nicknamed “AC Disco”— but also factors in pop melodies on songs like “Trouble’s Coming.”
Around the time of them working on the album, frontman Mike Kurr stopped drinking. In many ways the album signified a journey of sobriety and acceptance.
In an interview with Apple Music he said that “it was the only thing I could to write about. It got to the point where I really understood who I was, and having that kind of genuine confidence is crucial for being creative. It allowed me to trust myself with it rather than second-guessing anything.”
Kurr then added, “I felt a little less exposed: It almost felt like the lyrics were a bit disguised because the music was so upbeat and euphoric. I felt amazing and so positive that I was in a much better place, yet the only thing I had to write about was incredibly dark. So it’s a strange duality on the album.”
These feelings can be heard very directly in the last song of the album “All We Have Is Now” that emphasizes how important living in the present really is.
Overall, the album is so unique when compared to anything out right now. Royal Blood is keeping rock alive again with such a distinct, inspiring sound. With so many songs that have a way of getting your head nodding or foot tapping, I have to say, this album deserves a full play-through.
