ROYAL REPUBLIC – “CLUB MAJESTY” album review

Band – ROYAL REPUBLIC
Album – Club Majesty
Release Date – May 31, 2019
Label – NUCLEAR BLAST
Facebook – Royal Republic Facebook Page
Twitter – Royal Republic on Twitter
Website – Royal Republic Official site
Band Members –
Adam Grahn (vocals + guitars)
Hannes Irengård (guitars)
Jonas Almén (bass)
Per Andreasson (drums)

Reviewed by – John Erigo

If this is your first time hearing about ROYAL REPUBLIC, well, they are a difficult band to describe but here goes! These guys are FUN! They have an eclectic, original sound that mixes rock, pop, disco, well shit, just about everything. It’s a great balance between comedy and rock as lead singer Adam Grahn sings in a smug kinda voice with often funny lyrics. They dress like lounge singers from the 50’s (remember that pic of Metallica dressed as the “Hep Cats”?). Their sound always kind of reminded me as a cross between TURBONEGRO and DANKO JONES. This band is FUN and full of energy and their newest album CLUB MAJESTY possesses all these qualities and delivers big time.

The album opens with FIREMAN & DANCER. This song displays a staccato kind of riff, choppy, short and quick chords that gives it a bouncy kind of feel. Like I already said 2 times, this band is FUN to listen to!!!!! There’s a lot going on and behind all the fun is some really talented guys as ROYAL REPUBLIC deliver musically and vocally. There are great harmonies, melodies and as players, they have their chops up to snuff.

ROYAL REPUBLIC have an amazing knack for writing songs that stick in your head like a lump of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth! No matter what you do, you can’t get them out of your mind! Here’s the example song ANNA LEIGH. I almost consider this “guilty pleasure” kind of music! LOL! This song combines pop & disco elements – the pre chorus and chorus are right out of Saturday Night Fever, but with the guitars chiming in the background ( kind of reminiscent of the KISS songs SURE KNOW SOMETHING and MAGIC TOUCH), this song still rocks! Hopefully you are watching these videos too because ROYAL RUBLIC does like to add a comedic feel to a lot of their songs & videos!!!

BOOMERANG! is another example of ROYAL REPUBLIC writing songs that stick in your head. The chorus will remind you of  YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) by the 80’s band DEAD OR ALIVE. Again, not metal or even hard rock but ROYAL REPUBLIC have the ability to take these pop kind of melodies and turn them into hard rock gold!

So to show another side of the band, above is the video for LIKE A LOVER.  A slower, moody tune that has some nice heavy elements worked into it. This song displays that ROYAL REPUBLIC can switch gears, mix it up, and still keep your attention. I am really enjoying this band as I discovered them about a year or so ago. Their recent performance at the yearly European festivals were fun too! Check some posts here on KAF for videos. All in all CLUB MAJESTY is royalty! It’s fun, rockin’, and you never know what is coming next from ROYAL REPUBLIC. Check em out, get CLUB MAJESTY but also check out their back catalog!!!

TRACK LIST —-

1	– Fireman & Dancer	2:48
2	– Can’t Fight The Disco	2:51
3	– Boomerang	3:25
4	– Under Cover	3:41
5	– Like A Lover	3:52
6	– Blunt Force Trauma	2:54
7	– Fortune Favors	3:24
8	– Flower Power Madness	3:14
9	– Stop Movin’	2:58
10	– Anna-Leigh	3:14
11	– Bulldog	2:25