PALAYE ROYALE - FEVER DREAM
On October 28th, Canadian- American rock band, Palaye Royale released their highly anticipated third album, Fever Dream.
It’s certain that this album shares a lot of the same important events as the previous releases, being things that all three brothers (Sebastian Danzig, Remington Leith, and Emerson Barrett) or even just Leith himself have gone through.
Some of the tracks have that nostalgic feel to them a long-time listener may get from releases such as The Boom Boom Room.
The first track of the album, ‘Eternal Life,’ is soft with the intro, Leith singing softer before ramping up and bringing in the strong instrumentals the band is known for, creating a powerful opening for the album. “Help me, can anybody hear me?” is a strong lyric in this track, being one of the only ones Leith truly screams, before the song goes into a strong instrumental break before the bridge of the song filled with harmonies between the brothers.
One of the first singles released from the album last year was ‘No Love in LA.’ The track seems to shed light on how fake the people of Los Angeles can be. Posting photos to show all the good in their lives, despite lacking a lot in themselves, and judging others as a way to cope with themselves.
‘Punching Bag’ was the other single released alongside the previously mentioned, ‘No Love in LA.’ Feeling like a call-out to the people who have wronged them, or benefit from their mistakes, this track shows a sarcastic element to it, and showing they have grown from the comments of others. “Go ahead and mold me/ They bought me and then sold me” can be seen as Leith feeling more like an item than a person, being seen by people in the image they want to view him as rather than who he really is. Leith also speaks near the end of the track about wanting to go back to who he was before, likely before the band got bigger, using the line “Build me up before I fall”.
‘Broken’, another single from the album, is a song about heartbreak. The beginning of the track hints on things Leith wants to say, but can’t, including knowing he wasn’t enough for a person he loved. The song shows his heartbreak and knowing he’s trying to be present for the person who doesn’t seem to give him the same energy. Instrumentally, the track does a phenomenal job at amplifying the emotions being conveyed by the lyrics, and Leith’s raspy tone.
The album’s title track opens with Leith’s softer tone and a piano, before the rest of the instrumentals come in, and the tone of the song becomes more apparent. The song very much seems like Leith telling someone that is suffering that it’s okay for them to let go, and escape the hurt and suffering they may be going through during that time. The song does an amazing job, at conveying its message, and within the climax of the song, even somewhat portraying that the suffering has ended, and the person has been freed, which can be shown again, by the return of the soft tones at the end of the track, accompanied again, by only Leith’s voice.
Featuring LP, ‘Line it Up,’ opens with what seems like a rewind of ‘Fever Dream’, before going into its own acoustics. “Living like my parents is my worst fear,” is a prominent line from the first verse, along with “I think I’d rather die than live my father’s life,” as the band has hinted at issues growing up with their father in the past. LP’s feature in this track absolutely adds so much to it. Perfectly pairing with both Leith’s vocals and the instrumentals of the song, their pairing is one that people may not exactly expect, but to hear it together, is absolutely phenomenal. It’s absolutely certain, ‘Line it Up’ will be on the replay list for quite a while.
‘Toxic in You’ is more of an upbeat track instrumentally, keeping the same vibe lyrically that the band is known for. Talking about running away from all the bad things except one that cannot be escaped. Leith talks about how he knows it harms him, and knows it’s better without it, but he also finds almost a comfort in it, repeating the line “I just love the toxic in you.”
‘Wasted Sorrow’ begins with just a guitar before the vocals draw the rest of the song in. The effect on the vocals give an intense vibe to the song. This track also has very prominent bass riffs, which hasn’t really been noticeable in the album, yet, but sound absolutely amazing. The chorus hits, and it’s easy to get it stuck in your head. When the bridge hits, the lyrics “I'm sorry i couldn't love myself, dont hate me” is one of the most prominent lines in the track.
‘Paranoid’ talks about feeling like you aren’t good enough for someone. Leith brings up insecurities within the first verse of the track including being his mother’s least favorite child, and wanting the voices to be quiet, but they are too strong. Leith talks about not being able to escape these thoughts, and feeling like they are always following him, repeating the lines “Are they watching me? / Are you watching me?”
‘Oblivion’ begins as a super soft, quiet song, slowly getting louder with just guitars and Leith’s voice. Absolutely a favorite on the album, the instrumentals that come in during the chorus perfectly compliment Leith’s voice. The track is definitely different from those before it, but so much emotion has been put into this song and its instrumentals, that it can definitely stand out a lot on its own.
In a track that seems to show not really knowing your place in the world, ‘Lifeless Stars’ shows the struggle of being burnt out on something you love, but wanting to push on together, and growing as a whole. It’s clear these brothers have definitely had their moments in the past, but they always spring back and grow closer together as both brothers, and a band. The song seems very much a shout out to people who may feel the same as they did, and is an attempt at giving them hope that things can get better.
‘King of the Damned’ is a stronger, faster track, keeping that hype throughout the track. It’s very reminiscent of the Bastards era, and shares a guitar solo by producer Chris Greatti near the end of the song that helps to further amplify the resolution of the song, before it slowly dies off, with shared vocals between the brothers, before ramping up one last time for a last chorus.
The album’s final track, ‘Off with the Head’ sheds light on being slowly used to people wanting more and more of you, and when they aren’t given what they want, they tend to become more demanding, using the line “Off with the head they said/Everybody wants me dead” to further push the point, and talking about feeling no matter what they do it’ll be wrong in some way. The track ends with very strong instrumentals and another guitar solo from Chris Greatti before leading to the outro of the album. The outro tones down the tempo, and brings slightly softer vocals. The line “We’re all gonna fade out but not today” gives a sense of hope that even though people may be against you, you can always get back up, and make things better. “They say we all fall down, why don't they know by now we won’t go down” is repeated as the vocals and instrumentals slowly die out, ending the Fever Dream album on a high note.
Everything down to the release date of this album has been phenomenal. Listening to the tracks, this album definitely gives the feel of an Autumn release. The band has done an incredible job at picking their singles from the album so as to not give away some of the album’s strongest points, and this band seems to never miss with not only the track listing but also the strings they add to their tracks with help of producer, Chris Greatti. It’s for sure an album that could sit next to the likes of My Chemical Romance, The Doors, and The Struts.
Niki Davidson
★★★★★