Palaye Royale had to cut their EU short sadly, but they still had good news to make up for it. New album “The Bastards” is coming out before the summer, and they’ve launched it with new track “Lonely”, a haunting piece to make listeners slow dance (alone). Check it out!
Adrenalin-fueled, Rock n’ roll circus and recent JUNO nominees, PALAYE ROYALE, have today announced the long-awaited release date for their highly anticipated new album, “THE BASTARDS”. The band’s third studio album will be released on Sumerian Records on May 29th.
The band have also released a brand new track from the upcoming album today, titled “Lonely”. The track features some of the most honest and heartbreaking lyrics ever written by frontman Remington Leith and the accompanying music video, which he also directed, is a perfect reflection of the difficult and deeply personal topics addressed by the song of childhood abandonment, mental health issues and drug use. Speaking on the track, Remington says: “‘Lonely’ is about the mental and physical abuse I endured as a child. Growing up, I went through so much shit and at points felt so low I couldn’t see a way out. It has effected me deeply throughout my life but I want the world to know that no matter what you’re going through, if I can make it out on the other side, so can you”.
PALAYE ROYALE have been teasing their 3rd studio album, “THE BASTARDS” since last year. Surrounded by a utopian world created by the band, “THE BASTARDS” is set in a place that is a reflection of their own lives, but in a mythological sense. Speaking on this special world he and his brothers have created, Emerson Barrett adds: “It takes place around the island of Obsidian and it’s set in 1888. In short, it’s a world that started off with intentions where the island encouraged free thinkers and artists to exist and, as everything does in life, eventually it becomes this political power and evil toxicity that comes with everything. To remain a true individual in the society, you must wear a gas mask”.
Musically, the album is an enormous step-up for the band. It is, in turn, dark, lush, angry, vulnerable, caustic and warm. From the grandiose Bond-theme-esque “Tonight Is The Night I Die”, to the darkly jarring “Anxiety”, from the quietly heartbreaking refrain of “Lonely” and the massive fuzzed up, distorted guitars of “Nightmares (Coming Down)”, “THE BASTARDS” demonstrates just how far the band have expanded their writing and musical dexterity, rounding out their already accomplished arson with flourishes of electronics, metal beat-downs, drum n bass beats and haunting string arrangements.
There are singles on the album, luminous highlights, but it’s also a piece of work that works beautifully when listened to as a whole. That, despite the fact that it was recorded in a variety of locations. Speaking on the recording of “THE BASTARDS”, Sebastian Danzig states: “We rented an AirBnB in Joshua Tree, one in London, and we kept on going in little areas and writing new sections of the album. It’s crazy – we thought the album was done in March of last year, and we did the heavy stuff in Joshua Tree. We wrote ‘Little Bastards’ a week before the album was supposed to be mixed and mastered”.
Lyrically, the album addresses a number of important issues, prevalent to today’s youth – struggles with mental health, the gun violence epidemic, substance use as a means to escape a difficult reality and parental abandonment all play a part in the album’s rich lyrical tapestry. Speaking on the band’s refreshingly honest and open approach to writing on the new album, Remington adds: “We need a little honesty and a little truth. The world is getting so tainted by everyone trying to be so fucking perfect and so goddamn PG and trying to walk this line of not trying to offend anyone. People need to be themselves, just for 20 minutes at least.”
In short, “THE BASTARDS” is an album that demands your attention.The world needs Palaye Royale right now and Palaye Royale have delivered in spades.