By Monk
There is no doubt about, but over the past year one thing that it has often proved almost impossible to do is carry on as if everything was “normal”, at least in the sense which we perceived normality just a little more that 12 months or so ago… But, at the same time, there has been a prevalent sense that the best thing to do is just that – carry on in the hope that said normality, or at least some semblance of it, will return, in some shape or form, and sooner rather than later. I mean, what else can we really do? So, it is quite appropriate that this is exactly the course of action which Swedish garage rockers Grande Royale expound in the title of this, their fiery fifth album…
In many ways, the album also reflects another trend which the majority of us have had to follow over the past year and a bit: that of going back to basics, starting from the beginning and rebuilding from the ground up again, as GR return to their roots, with a no-nonsense collection of 11 gritty, foot-to-the-floor punked-up (and, indeed, punked-out) rock ‘n’ roll tunes guaranteed to get you nodding and humming along, never mind whirl winding around the room like a dervish with a tarantula down her knickers!
‘Carry On’ possesses no airs or graces. There are no fancy-dancy effects, no needless studio trickery. Just an emphasis on delivering great rock ‘n’ roll, with catchy-as-fuck choruses, rambunctious riffs with more crunch than a warehouse full of peanut brittle and hooks with more hum factor than the tramp who sleeps out the back of the studio, coupled with memorable melodies, great gang vocals and impeccable timing, all delivered with enough cheesiness to keep a sandwich factory in business for a year!
To reprise my opening point, there is no doubt that, over the past year, one thing that has proven to be our salvation has been the empowering quality of rock ‘n’ roll to make us forget our woes and look very much on the bright side, helping us to raise a defiant middle finger to the chaos and insecurity around us and declare that life does indeed have more positives than negatives. And as long as bands such as Grande Royale ‘Carry On’ making music that is as fresh, energetic, vital and above all fun as this, putting a smile on our wizened faces and a dance in our aging cowboy boot-clad strides, then life is pretty damn good – and will continue to be so for some time to come…
- ‘Carry On’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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