Royal Blood – How Did We Get So Dark?

Honest, direct and so DTF it's practically humping the furniture...

Are Royal Blood the first post-20th Century rock band? Forget the Jimmy Page bromance, the drums-and-bass duo's encasing Venn Diagram is formed from three juggernauts of the genre's post-millennium Cretaceous Period: The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age and Muse.

Like the latter two acts, Royal Blood make music for dancing girls as well as moshing guys. There's a slick demeanour to their tightly-wound sound that mirrors their well-groomed image, a slinkiness to their production that bears more resemblance to Timbaland than Turbonegro.

'How Did We Get So Dark?' is unlikely to win over critics who prefer their licks raw and vocals scratchy. There's nothing Real with a capital 'R' here, it's a record intended for garnering groupies, not scathingly disassembling modern life. Consequentially its oversexed grooves come across as more honest and direct than many 'honest and direct' bands. 'HDWGSD' is so DTF it's practically humping the furniture, making it one of the most genuine works of rock 'n' roll since Elvis weaponised his pelvis.

8/10

Words: Josh Gray

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