Combine what you know about rock, punk, and 2000’s emo music together; add in some modern fashion and a dash of eclectic steampunk style and what do you get? The Canadian trio of brothers, Palaye Royale (Raine). The group returns to the music scene with their third full-length album “The Bastards”. The three brothers, Remington Leith – lead singer, Sebastian Danzig – guitar and keyboards, Emerson Barrett – drums and piano, released this album with the intent of using their music in order to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, due to their anxieties and worries of what friends and family may say if they were to express their true feelings. This band is one that should not go unnoticed, if not just for their musical talent, then for their lyrical work which reflects not only their own personal lives, but the struggles and experiences of their audience too.
Palaye Royale put in a lot of time and effort in order to relate to their audience, who they call The Royale Council, with titles such as Anxiety, Lonely, Nervous Breakdown, Nightmares, Fucking with My Head and Black Sheep. Their songs are geared more towards anti-social misfits and the self-perceived loners of the world, people in search of something to be able to relate to in order to help them cope with their feelings of uncertainty and solitude (Raine).
Kicking off the album is the track Little Bastards. The song is a thundering, stomping electric rock piece that is equally vulnerable and catchy. This song touches upon isolation-induced insanity and having friends that you feel you cannot trust. Guitarist Sebastian Danzig expresses that the song is a good example of what to expect from the rest of the album.
“Musically we show the direction of the album all in a single track. The vulnerability, the truth and the aggression all wrapped together in a three-and-a-half-minute track which will set the listener up for what is to come for the next 14 tracks and what corners we will touch” (Raine).
Another notable track is Massacre, The New American Dream. This is a very anger-driven track, targeting the topic of America’s gun laws – or lack thereof. Insinuating that the government’s new outlook of the American dream revolves around massacres. Also, bringing up a very interesting point in the song with the line “why are we so casual bout these casualties”. Saying that people are getting too comfortable hearing about new killing sprees going on around the world since the government is the one allowing these people to get guns legally and then the news makes killers infamous which is exactly what they were looking for in some cases. Palaye Royale used their anger and dissatisfaction with our current system and channeled it into a song,
“We are tired of seeing innocent people being gunned down so unbelievably often and still there is no change. How many more innocent people have to die for change to happen? Government and the news share no sort of resolve or actions of change for these problems. We put forth our creative anger to depict the current state of our civilization. There seems to be more kids growing up to become famous for school shootings than famous for anything else in America” (Raine).
There are other songs on this album that go more in depth about loneliness and having that empty sort of feeling inside of you, as is a common theme in this recent project. Songs like Lonely, Doom (Empty), and Redeemer are just a few examples. All of these songs are lyrically beautiful, and they share a similar sound. These songs have a slower and darker kind of melody to them that expresses these topics of serious mental issues. Another commonality between these songs is the idea of taking some kind of pill or doing drugs in order to make it through life in a state of numbness in order not to feel anything anymore.
In the song Redeemer, lead singer Remington Leith belts out words of needing help. In the chorus, listeners can hear what sounds like someone stuck inside their head, having to deal with thoughts of suicide and wishing that anyone would listen and care enough to reach out;
“And I’m here
Just waiting for you to come home
And I’m screaming all on my own
With the revolver and a note
Will you please pick up the phone?
And I’m waiting for you to come home
And I’m screaming all on my own
With the revolver and a note
Will you please come back home?”
Listening to this song, I actually began crying near the end just hearing how heartfelt Remington’s singing is, taking the octave up a notch and almost yelling for help, it hurts to hear someone saying things like this, but hearing such things expressed outside of your own head also helps to feel less alone or even crazy for what you might be feeling. Closing the album with this track was a great decision on the bands part because it is the final thought that is left with the listeners, and it encompasses the ideas conveyed in the other 14 tracks.
“The Bastards” album by Palaye Royale is not one that should be ignored. It is apparent throughout this album that they are becoming more comfortable in allowing their audience to see more into their troubled history, through their lyrics. This is a thoughtfully crafted album that captures the bands essence and showcases their growth into this new era. If you have not heard the album, I highly recommend going and listening to it, and letting the music speak for itself.
Citations:
- Raine, India. “ALBUM REVIEW: Palaye Royale – ‘The Bastards’.” Good Call Live, 27 May 2020, gclive.me/2020/05/27/album-review-palaye-royale-the-bastards/.
