You want hit and miss? Well no, you probably don't do you, you want all hit. Unless you have a penchant for cheesy commercial pop as well as the good stuff then hit and miss is what you'll get on Swedish band The Royal Concept's new EP 'Royal'. Let's start with the weak points. It doesn't begin well; opening track 'World On Fire' is generic modern pop that thinks it's being edgy by using the odd swear word and being slightly abrasive. It will have many listeners failing to venture further. Having a half-decent chorus is its only saving grace, but even that feels like something you've heard on dozens of other songs in the past. 'On Our Way' doesn't fare any better with its indie-band-engineered-for-pre-teens style. Again the chorus is big and bold but it's too overcooked to be edible. It's almost as though the band are being used as puppets by the major label they're signed to; an experiment to find an "indie" band for 13 year-old girls. Naturally they'll claim that the sound and production are exactly what they're aiming for, we've heard that from so many bands...
Then they drop in 'Gimmie Twice' and you wonder why this didn't lead the EP. Until you remember the possible plan mentioned above. Yeah, this is still commercial, but it strips that horrid forced pop sound away and lights up the EP in a more natural manner. Some kind of combination of the two sides to the band's music is used on 'Radio'. The big pop chorus is in place and is actually quite likeable, although you probably wouldn't mention that to your mates. We're in guilty pleasure territory. Without the gleam it would be a fine tune. There is another stand-out; 'Shut The World' uses The Royal Concept's way with a grand chorus to better effect, leaving the cheese behind. Again it glistens a bit much but with those pop songs at the start anything else would make the EP sound fractured. Final track 'Goldrushed' sums up the band's problem; it's equal parts The Strokes and Maroon 5, and the two don't go together. The Royal Concept need to decide if they're to remain a major label plaything and stick to the likes of 'World On Fire', or if they want to write the type of songs I suspect they prefer. 'Royal' definitely has its moments, but it feels like a junction, and the route The Royal Concept take next will ultimately decide their fate. Being stuck in the middle is unlikely to do them any favours.
The Royal Concept's website
Buy the EP
Catch them live:
Sep 27 Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg, Germany
Oct 11 Katalin, Uppsala, Sweden
Oct 12 Mejeriet, Lund, Sweden
Oct 17 Pustervik, Göteborg, Sweden
Oct 18 Debaser Strand, Stockholm, Sweden
Oct 24 Ideal Bar, Copenhagen, Denmark
Oct 25 KB, Malmö, Sweden
Nov 02 Kajskjulet, Halmstad, Sweden
Nov 09 MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL
Nov 10 Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL
Nov 11 House of Blues Dallas, Dallas, TX
Nov 12 House of Blues Houston, Houston, TX
Nov 18 Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Washington, DC
Nov 19 Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Nov 21 Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
Nov 22 Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA
Nov 26 House of Blues Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
Nov 27 Shelter ,Detroit, MI
Nov 30 Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
Dec 01 Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
Dec 03 Marquis Theater, Denver, CO
Dec 11 House of Blues, San Diego, San Diego, CA
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