Royal RepublicClub Majesty

Swedish outfit Royal Republic has been carving out a reputation for being one of the funkiest, funniest and downright energetic rock bands since their formation at music school Malmö, 2007.

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Now with album number five, Club Majesty, Royal Republic has dialled up the disco. If that wild subgenre of disco-rock can actually still exist, Royal Republic has done it.

Resoundingly designed to invoke the hedonism and cheesiness of 1970s disco, Club Majesty is nonetheless surprisingly hard rocking. In a strange but effective way, Royal Republic manages to weave together just enough attitude, bold riffs and vocal grit with sleazy synths and catchy melodic top lines to pull off a super fun, super funky and highly listenable album. The addition of a smattering of saxophone, such as on the opening track Fireman & Dancer, smooths the way for this too, which creates this and a few other tracks into an early-1980s soft-disco-rock sonic vibe, kind of a subtle nod to Gerry Rafferty.

The tracks are generally well textured, lively paced and there is certainly never a dull or predictable moment on Club Majesty.

Lyrically, Club Majesty continues Royal Republic’s renowned penchant for addictively hilarious lines to poke fun and burn into your memory. Flower Power Madness is a class example of this. Although flirting with a glorious cliché, Can’t Fight The Disco has an undeniably upbeat spirit and sing-along classic potential. Under Cover is not even close to subtle in its message, but it’s a dashing overstatement of the strobe-entranced image that Royal Republic seeks to portray. Pushing the far reaches of this disco-infused atmospheric rock, Anna Leigh really relives a sequined bygone era, à la Bee Gees, but with just enough modern twist to pull it out of re-enactment territory. The sultry slow grind of Like a Lover is a different mood altogether, with much stronger rock influence and refreshingly full-bodied guitars to break up the disco in the middle of the album.

The tracks are generally well textured, lively paced and there is certainly never a dull or predictable moment on Club Majesty. And it’s this sense of overconfidence in the (slightly seedy) disco aesthetic that makes Club Majesty so convincing, and unashamedly enjoyable.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Like a Lover, Flower Power Madness, Anna Leigh
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