Sometimes an act can surprise you by doing something new with so little. Royal Blood are one of those bands who do a couple of things so well that one doesn't want to hear the formula being varied even a tiny bit. And, admittedly, there's not a lot of variety on the duo's newest record, Typhoons, out now via Warner Records. But what is here, including a few minor surprises, is supremely well done, catchy, and bracing.
While a dash of disco creeps into "Limbo", most of Typhoons is just Mike Kerr (bass, vocals) and Ben Thatcher (drums, vocals) bashing out riffs and hooks. The simplicity of the pieces sometimes rivals material from The Ramones, but, hey, how fucking great were those guys too? "Trouble's Coming" and "Oblivion" roar like angrier versions of material we heard on recent Arctic Monkeys albums, while "Either You Want It" adds a bit more melody to things than we've heard on some earlier Royal Blood releases. This one reveals a debt owed to Queen and Muse, though Kerr and Thatcher are likely never going to get lost in any prog fantasties, you know?
While "Boilermaker", like many of the duo's best numbers, recalls The White Stripes a tiny bit, I'll give credit to Royal Blood for not being pretentious about their own craft. There's nothing here that's blues-based, nor anything that aspires to be anything other than a loud, tuneful rocker. Sure, the closing balled "All We Have is Now" is downright lovely, but the rest of Typhoons roars and thumps as riffs and beats collide in a flurry over and over again. It's not complicated, but it's so earnestly right and effective that it's hard not to love this sound.
Typhoons is out now via Warner Records.
More details on Royal Blood via the official website.
[Photo: Dean Martindale]