ROYAL BLOOD - TYPHOONS
A complex, inventive and all-consuming record, Typhoons is the third album brought to us by Brighton rock duo Royal Blood. What with it being four years since they last released a body of work, this is very much welcomed and an exciting insight into their evolving sound.
A complex, inventive and all-consuming record, Typhoons is the third album brought to us by Brighton rock duo Royal Blood. What with it being four years since they last released a body of work, this is very much welcomed and an exciting insight into their evolving sound.
Ben Thatcher and Mike Kerr have never been afraid to let us know that they are the epitome of rock music and this just proves their ethos. In saying that, they’re also not afraid to incorporate features of other genres; in opening track ‘Trouble’s Coming’ it’s easy to spot their signature riffs throughout, before leading into a mellow pop-like bridge. The album as a whole is very experimental, all the while still managing to pay homage to their previous work. For the duration of the record, there are nods to 80s dance tunes through the heavy use of synths, ‘Million and One’ being one of the first stand-outs, intertwined with fuzzy bass lines. As mentioned before, they so cleverly blend genres that upon first listen, you wouldn’t even know were there. ‘Limbo’, the third single to be released and a personal favourite, contains double kick pedals, pointing to the idea that this carries heavy metal influences.
Hidden in the background are a variety of different instruments that one might not expect to be used in such resounding music. Discrete percussion sounds contribute massively towards multiple tracks without being obvious, which once again, prove that Thatcher and Kerr are extremely talented and slick in the way that they work. All songs have room to breathe meaning that although there’s a lot to take in, it never becomes overwhelming; they’re confident when it comes to instrumentals within their tracks and rightly so, there’s not a minute that passes that doesn’t showcase their diversity and flair. Closing track ‘All We Have Is Now’ backs this up completely, an unforeseen melancholic moment, with soft, almost isolated vocals on top of simple keys. An ingenious way to bring the record to an end as it’s so loose but somehow still works so well. If rock music is dead, then this album is enough to revive it.
Elisha Cloughton
★★★★☆