PALAYE ROYALE - THE BASTARDS
Rosie shares her thoughts on the latest Palaye Royale release, The Bastards, and lets you know whether she thinks you should listen or not.
Palaye Royale are ready to show off their latest, highly anticipated creation, The Bastards. Having spent the past year perfecting and teasing the album, the wait is finally over. Surrounded by a utopian world created by the band, The Bastards is set in a place that is a reflection of their own lives, but in a mythological sense.
Contrary to the uninviting and menacing title, most of the album carries a strong theme of mental illness, childhood abandonment and drug use, hugely important topics particularly in the middle of a pandemic where accessing mental health support has been increasingly difficult due to stretched resources. Blossoming with anger and distortion balanced with vulnerability and reflection, the album seems intriguing, but does it live up to the high expectations?
The first track is ‘Little Bastards’, not a great title by any means. The track gives it’s salutations with a melancholic melody and a chant in the background, followed by pop inspired riffs and explicit lyrics such as “lonely, I’ve been feeling lonely / put me in my place / fuck you I don’t even like you” throughout the verse and chorus. Towards the end, the track launches into this turmoil of aggressiveness which seems like they are incredibly earnest to prove that they are people not to be messed with, but it comes across as just a front.
‘Anxiety’ is a growly flurry of words, sung in overly distorted vocals, with excessive explicit words. “.... fucking mean” and yet again, the word bastard pops up. It’s overused and lets the track down massively, distracting from the subject of the song. The main riffs however, are really enjoyable and bring the track to life. They’re punchy and captivating yet subtle for warming up the crowd and bringing everyone close to the front.
There are many musical references hidden throughout the album such as lyrics and music from Panic At The Disco and My Chemical Romance and Pixies’ Where Is My Mind? in ‘Lonely.’ Vocalist Remington Leith says that “’Lonely’ is about the mental and physical abuse I endured as a child. Growing up, I went through so much shit and at points felt so low I couldn't see a way out. It has affected me deeply throughout my life, but I want the world to know that no matter what you're going through, if I can make it out on the other side, so can you."
The elusive, repetitive melodies allow the lyrics to be emphasised to the full. “Daydreaming of my funeral” really stands out and paints a graphic image of the devastating impact from living in a warped family household. ‘Lonely’ stands out massively on a personal level and hopefully will to fans who as well may be sadly locked down in similar difficult situations. This track offers comfort and an extended hand to show you that you are not alone in this situation.
Much of the album unfortunately comes across as unimpressive when trying to keep up this false bad-boy persona, particularly in music in 2020. The overuse of repeated explicit language also distracts so much from otherwise great lyrics, however, the tracks that do drop this act and dig deeper really hit hard and make a great lasting impression. They also explore the darkest areas of mental health that no one actually talks about and addresses.
Rosie Chalk
★★★☆ ☆