Royal Blood
How Did We Get So Dark?
2017
Warner Bros. Records\\Black Mammoth Records - 561724-2\\561724-2
Lineage: Downloaded from Tidal > Spetral Analysis > Reencoded with FLAC > Tagged via discogs

 01. Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark? (03:18)
 02. Royal Blood - Lights Out (03:57)
 03. Royal Blood - I Only Lie When I Love You (02:50)
 04. Royal Blood - She's Creeping (03:24)
 05. Royal Blood - Look Like You Know (03:06)
 06. Royal Blood - Where Are You Now (02:47)
 07. Royal Blood - Don't Tell (03:38)
 08. Royal Blood - Hook, Line & Sinker (03:28)
 09. Royal Blood - Hole In Your Heart (03:46)
 10. Royal Blood - Sleep (04:17)


Total Time and File-Size:00:34:31, 240.83 MB

  

AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

On their eponymous 2014 debut, Royal Blood came across like a monochromatic Brummie version of the White Stripes, one that was intent on hitting so hard they could conjure memories of Black Sabbath. Despite its foreboding title, How Did We Get So Dark? doesn't feel quite as heavy as its predecessor. Much of this is due to the duo of Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher opening up their production so that How Did We Get So Dark? doesn't primarily rely on their hypercharged rhythm section. To be sure, this remains the bedrock of Royal Blood's sound, but the addition of fuzz guitars, harmonies, and even a few keyboards along with a bit of a funk swing to the grooves makes a world of difference in the band's attack. Here, they not only sound brawny but nimble, navigating twists in their riffs and rhythms without a hitch and without flash. Such lack of pretension usually works for Royal Blood's overall benefit -- it underscores their muscle -- even if it occasionally means that their songs can feel like a pile of hooks. That doesn't happen as often on How Did We Get So Dark? as it did on Royal Blood: broadening the sonic palette helps sharpen the songs, and the result is a sophomore set that's ambitious and satisfying.



Artist Biography by Scott Kerr

How Did We Get So Dark? Brighton duo Royal Blood channeled the blues-rock dynamism of the likes of the White Stripes, the Black Keys, and Two Gallants, yet they amped up the ferocity and volume with scuzzy riffs and blustering energy. Comprising drummer Ben Thatcher and bassist/vocalist Mike Kerr, the two-piece formed at the beginning of 2013 when Kerr returned from a trip to Australia and Thatcher picked him up from the airport. They managed to play their first show the very next day and continued to write new material throughout the year. Although constrained to just two instruments, they made their presence known with pounding drums and heavily distorted bass guitar that drove the melodic intensity of their songs, alongside Kerr's emotive vocals. They were championed by the BBC on their Sound of 2014 list, as well as Arctic Monkeys' Matt Helders, who wore their T-shirt during their headlining 2013 Glastonbury performance and invited them to open their huge Finsbury Park shows. The duo then released the single "Out of the Black" and signed to Warner Bros. later that year. A second single, "Little Monster," appeared in February of 2014, while a four-song EP, Out of the Black, came a month later in March, collecting the A- and B-sides of the two singles. Their debut self-titled full-length was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and released later that year, reaching number one in the U.K. and Ireland. Tours with Iggy Pop and Foo Fighters followed, and in early 2015 Royal Blood won Best British Group at the Brit Awards, receiving their trophy from an admirer, none other than Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. Royal Blood returned in June of 2017 with their sophomore LP, How Did We Get So Dark?