Palaye RoyaleThe Bastards

There’s long been a misconception about Palaye Royale that their music doesn’t appeal to mature audiences.

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The Canadian-American outfit’s third album The Bastards is about to blow that opinion out of the water, while retaining the adoration of their existing and more youthful fans.

Not judging a book by its cover is important here. Palaye Royale may look like a hungover Mick Jagger coughed up My Chemical Romance, but any comparison to the latter (particularly on appearances alone) isn’t fair to either band because of the multidimensional characteristics Palaye Royale have worked hard to establish in their music.

Though the art-rock ascription Palaye Royale boast exists in the fictional dystopian themes they’ve adopted in this release, this isn’t rock ‘n’ roll. This breaks the mould and transcends definition. The Bastards retains the Palaye Royal personality that’s been developed through the album’s predecessors, only now the band seem to demonstrate an untouchable dexterity in songwriting and a plethora of influences. Palaye Royale merges sensibilities of Brit-pop, electronica, heavy metal and indie to a startling effect.

The Bastards is an ingenious offering that transcends a one-track creative path and is demonstrative of a band with aptitude and originality.

On first listen Palaye Royale could be mistaken for a Brit indie band (as in Little Bastards–what a closing solo!). They throw in a little 90s crushed velvet grunge as they croon through Stay, and carry the appeal of a mainstream band in Hang On To Yourself—if you heard it on Triple J you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a group like Royal Blood.

Real grit is provided by Remington Leith’s guttural, powerful voice, one that seems to stagger into new areas of technique and improved dexterity, shaping the particular character of each song.

The lyrical content and complexity of the fictional narrative is what the youth will likely relate to–Doom (Empty) and Nightmares bound to appeal to the angsty ones – but that’s not to say a younger audience aren’t adult enough to appreciate the clever nuances of the musicology at work, only that it’s older audiences who may be surprised to find they enjoy the entire package of themes, aggrievances, stylistic experimentation and demonstrations of a cohesive dappling with every kind of sound.

Palaye Royale as a band for the mature audience? Definitely. They should give it a go. The Bastards is an ingenious offering that transcends a one-track creative path and is demonstrative of a band with aptitude and originality.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Hang On To Yourself, Nervous Breakdown, Stay
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Royal Blood, Yungblud, Frank Iero