Sometimes people really want new music from a band, but they don’t really want new music; they gripe about any slight deviation from the group’s prior work. We’re definitely not those people. It’s way more fun to open your mind and enjoy the ride when one of your favorite bands gives you a view into their other sonic inclinations. It can become a whole new reason to love them, and that’s what Royal Blood have achieved with their newest song today. “Trouble’s Coming,” the first single from their upcoming third album – due out in spring of 2021 – marks a stylistic twist, served up with their usual precision and addictive synergy.
This song’s vibrant, groovy sound is a cool pivot for the Brighton duo, whose first two albums (released in ‘14 and ‘17) are some of the very best in the dark-and-heavy rock realm. The dance-floor-ready “Trouble’s Coming” feels more designed for a room where a disco ball is spinning, but it’s still clearly a Royal Blood song. It’s got that uniquely-paced delivery from Mike Kerr slicing it into nice pieces, Ben Thatcher’s tightly snappy drumming, and that same edge of urgency that commands your muscles to move. Similarly persuasive, the lyrics prompt some introspection: “I can’t wait forever / Cause I don’t have the time left to spend / Wishing I was someone better / Wishing I could start all over again.”
“It was the moment something started to click – where we started playing over those much more rigid dance beats,” explained Kerr. “The breakthrough was realizing that there was real common ground between that and what we’d done before. It’s that AC/DC aspect: where the quality that makes the riffs seem so cutting is because of that beat. Although on the surface we were stepping outside what we’d done before, it didn’t feel at all unnatural; it felt like we were returning to music we’d loved from the very beginning: Daft Punk, Justice, things that were really groove-orientated. It was all about the beat. It felt like familiar territory, but something we’d censored in ourselves.”
Trouble’s Coming
Thatcher added, “When we first broke out, there were only two elements to the band. I didn’t just have to carry the beat, I’d have to color in the changes. We were both bearing a lot of freight, sonically. But this was a different challenge; less varied, maybe, but so satisfying as a drummer.” The band also stated upon its release today, “Royal blood, sweat and tears of joy have been shed to get to this very moment, but it feels so incredible to finally let you in to our new world.” Check out “Trouble’s Coming” above and let us know if you dig it as much as we do.
Article: Olivia Isenhart
