ALBUM REVIEW: Fever Dream – Palaye Royale
Wannabe emo princes PALAYE ROYALE have just released their fourth studio album Fever Dream. Brothers Remington Leith (vocals), Sebastian Danzig (guitar/keyboard) and Emerson Barrett (drums/piano) form the group with a variety of studio and touring artists lending a hand. Whilst some of their styling is unique, a lot of it is close to cut and paste from their predecessors.
With a lengthy 15 tracks, this album comes in at just shy of an hour, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t that long, but with their chosen tracks and the order they are in, it feels like a monotonous drag past a certain point. However, it does start off strong; Eternal Life – Intro opens the album with a haunting acoustic track with soft solemn vocals that lead flawlessly into the main Eternal Life track. This one’s a solid standalone song that doesn’t really need the introduction. The band could have set this track halfway into the album to liven up the midsection a bit more and it would still have the same impact.
Following Eternal Life is No Love In LA, which is easily one of the better tracks on the album. The catchy rhythm and easily memorable lyrics make this track one that you’d blast whilst drinking to get over an ex. The main section of the song finishes at two minutes and 44 seconds, but it does have a random 40-second instrumental tacked on which adds nothing to the track, rendering it a useless addition. It would be a much more fluid track if it ended when the vocals did.
Another memorable track off the album is Broken. Whilst the opening is similar to hundreds of other songs, it does kick in and improve pretty quickly, with Leith‘s rough vocals adding the extra layer of emotion needed to turn this into an angsty anthem. Broken has the right amount of peaks and troughs to create a crowd pleasing ballad while still remaining interesting and not repetitive. It’s easily the best track off of Fever Dream.
Unfortunately, the momentum building from tracks one to five is swiftly halted by track six, which is oddly the title track. Fever Dream is an entirely forgettable and unremarkable song, it is a very odd decision to have the title track be a mediocre song. The tracks following Fever Dream don’t fare much better. Between tracks six and 14 they all blend together into a monotonous continuous selection, to the point that there isn’t too much to say about those songs. However, they are perfect to zone out to, and have on as background music, as they don’t require attention.
Coming in to save the album at the end is Off With The Head, it’s a certified banger that should have been the title track. Danzig‘s guitar and Barrett‘s drums work in tandem to create chant-like rhythms that will be insane live. With playful hooks and hard punchy instrumentals, this song has so much potential. If all of the album had the energy and momentum that this song has then it would have been more of a success. Off With The Head – Outro is a surprisingly solemn closer to the album, giving off the vibes of acceptance and giving up, a juxtaposition to the fighting style of its predecessor. Though the genre change is slightly abrupt, it does work and acts as an apt final song of the release.
Rating 5/10
Fever Dream is out now via Sumerian Records/Virgin Music.
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