Palaye Royale - The Bastards Album Review
Review by Brittany Swigert
It’s 1888, in a paradise for the thinkers and dreamers and creators. At least it was supposed to be. Like all things in time, this utopia has become a corrupt world of conformity, sedation, and isolation. Perhaps, it’s time for the free thinkers to fight back? That is the picture Palaye Royale paints with their concept album The Bastards. It endeavors to bring to light many of the social and political issues we face in not so distant 2020. It champions individuality and free thinking with a wide array of approach to the material and composition.
I will not attempt to name their musical influences for this album, as there are far too many to try and pin down. Each song feels different than the last, but with enough momentum that none of the tracks felt forced. I found it very easy to listen to front to back several times over; both while focusing on the music and playing it in my headphones at work.
The Bastards is dark, and poppy, ad energetic, and haunting all at the same time depending on where you look. In the story individuals don gas masks to maintain their individuality. Whether it is necessary to maintain anonymity, a symbol of defiance, or a safety measure, it certainly brings to the forefront images of a bleak world, and one that we could easily see come to pass. They talk about a place full of people so afraid to offend, they have forsaken the things that make the individual. This stood out to me as it’s something I’ve seen occur in some pretty amazing people.
Not naming names, there is a woman I grew up with a few years my junior. She was a poet, and athlete, with an absolutely brilliant mind, but as soon as she identified herself with a cause it was all consuming. Everything wonderful and unique about her fell away and what was left was a puppet for a cause. It’s the same way for countless people falling in line under the same banner across the free world. Conformity under the guise of individualism. Afraid to offend, pretending to think. Being a concept album, the story is just as important as the music, but the music itself backs the story so well. They show an incredible range of tones that seamlessly blend genres and eras. It is new, and nostalgic.
From anthem-like “Little Bastards” to the electrified haunting quality of a death march cadence in “Tonight is the Night I Die” to the somber tones of “Redeemer” they certainly know where to place the punches and when to pull back. Palaye Royale knew what they were doing with the album. It is a very well thought out collection of fifteen songs that all work together to tell this not so fantastical story. In a world, not far from our own, they have produced an album that will resonate with today’s free thinkers. Drawing influence from all over, it is a strange and beautiful journey that is sure to leave you wanting the next installment of The Bastards story.
The album drops on May 29th, and I would highly recommend checking out what it has to offer.