Typhoons

LPA

1. Trouble’s Coming
2. Oblivion
3. Typhoons
4. Who Needs Friends
5. Million and One
6. Limbo

LPB

1. Either You Want It
2. Boilermaker
3. Mad Visions
4. Hold On
5. All We Have Is Now

Royal Blood have today released their long awaited third album ‘Typhoons’, which looks set to become the defining rock album of 2021. Its four singles (‘Trouble’s Coming’, ‘Typhoons’, ‘Limbo’ and ‘Boilermaker’) have made a phenomenal global impact, landing three consecutive Hottest Records courtesy of Annie Mac at Radio 1, another 50 million streams and the biggest North American airplay of their career. Meanwhile, early critical acclaim for the album has seen it heralded as the duo’s best record to date.

When Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher sat down to talk about making a new album, they knew what they wanted to achieve. It involved a conscious return to their roots, back when they had made music that was influenced by Daft Punk, Justice, and Philippe Zdar of Cassius. It also called for a similar back-to-basics approach to what had made their self-titled debut album so thrilling, visceral and original.

Outside of the singles, the album bursts into breathless, take-no-prisoners style when the fierce metallic grooves of ‘Who Needs Friends’ hits an early visceral peak. Royal Blood further reference their fresh array of influences by deploying vocodered vocals on ‘Million & One’ and evoking the sound of a hyper aggressive Prince on ‘Mad Visions’. It ends with a final surprise in the shape of the stark piano ballad ‘All We Have Is Now’, a vulnerable and revealing reminder to live in the moment.

That song’s unguarded sentiments gives the album a redemptive finale. Whether directly or allusively, the album focuses on exploring the flipside of success that they’ve experienced. It comes from the realisation that success is much more complicated than it seems and that having the time to regain perspective is a precious commodity which becomes ever more elusive. The situation called for reflection and change, which Kerr addressed in Las Vegas. He downed an espresso martini and declared it to be his last drink, and soon discovered that his new-found sobriety would have a positive impact upon his creativity and life as a whole.

That new approach manifested itself in the duo’s decision to produce the majority of ‘Typhoons’ themselves. Already established as a fan favourite during their 2019 live shows, the studio version of ‘Boilermaker’ was produced by Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, the two bands having first connected when Royal Blood supported them on a huge North American tour. Meanwhile, the multiple Grammy Award winner Paul Epworth produced ‘Who Needs Friends’ and contributed additional production to ‘Trouble’s Coming’.

The first opportunity for fans to experience ‘Typhoons’ together comes when the album is featured on Tim’s Listening Party next bank holiday Monday, May 3rd. Kerr and Thatcher will join host Tim Burgess for the playback, which starts at 8pm BST. The duo will follow the album release by headlining three select summer festivals: Tramlines (July 24th), Truck (July 25th) and Victorious (August 29th).