Out of the Black

Band: Royal Blood

Album: Royal Blood

Genre: Rock

So, I went back and forth for a while on who I wanted to write about this week. Did I want to do a band that's wildly known, or one that's more under the radar that everyone should know. I decided to go with the latter this time around. This band of two is definitely one of the most incredible rock bands to spring up within the last five years and has a charm to them like no other. Royal Blood consists of only a bass guitarists and a drummer, yet they still manage to sound like a band with a complete set of instruments! It's actually crazy to me, their music is so impressive.

Image from Independent

Now I'll be honest with you, I found this band through Howard Stern. My dad sent me a link to the interview with them saying I'd love the music and, low behold, I did! Even Howard, who is such a big critic, was blown away by their sound. I wish that he could've had them on his show sooner than summer of 2015 because I feel like the two years of me not knowing about them was two years that I sorely missed out on. Even when Dave Grohl had found out about them he called them directly and asked them to open for the Foo Fighters on tour. I wish I didn't miss that concert at Citi Field. 

Mike Kerr is the bassist and vocalist for the band and he is, honestly, so damn talented. When he plays the bass it sounds like there is more than one guitar going than his. His stage presence is massive, even though he has to concentrate on playing guitar and singing he still manages to rope the crowd into the band's performance. If Mike isn't facing the crowd, he is usually looking towards Ben Thatcher, the drummer of the band. Bass guitarists and drummers work hand and hand together, which is perfect for this pair. 

Ben gets a crowd going just as well as Mike, even if he isn't doing leading vocals. During concerts he'll stand up at his drum kit and go absolutely mad while encouraging the crowd to do the same; the dynamic between him and the crowd helps to keep some of the pressure off of Mike as a frontman.

Image from DIY Magazine

Hearing this album is absolute bliss to my little rock 'n' roll heart. It's truly got that grunge sound to it that many "rock" bands now a-days just don't possess; I seriously just love this band all around. This self-titled album is their first and, so far, only album that the band has made (I am dying for another album, trust me). I do recommend that if you like rock music, this is an album that you should definitely give a listen to!

Each song off of Royal Blood has it's own unique style to it, but my favorite has to be Figure It Out. The guitaring on this song is so, so, so good it almost hurts. Mike's style of bass is one of my all time favorites and this song truly showcases his talents on what he can do with four strings. The lyrics also have a very dark meaning behind them; even though there's "nothing better to do" he stays stuck trying to "figure it out".

Better Strangers and Little Monster are two other really awesome songs from this album. I mean, I'd recommend all ten of the songs, but I'll keep it to three so you can get to know the band without being overwhelmed, if you please. Better Strangers is a song about someone in a relationship leaving with no reason to give, just someone walking out without a care. Littler Monster is about someone who isn't perfect, but Mike says he'll love her "no matter what [she] says." They're both very contrasting in what they're about, which is something I love about the band. The songs are all so vastly different in their own ways!

If you've been looking for a new band to listen to, well here you go! They've been extremely popular in their home country of England since 2013, so now it's time for more people in America to know about them! Hope you give them a listen because they deserve it!