Palaye Royale, you fucking geniuses you....
May 26th 2022
It took me seven listens.
I listened to this track seven times on May 20th, the day it came out, and until that 7th listen, I had no formulated opinion, because I didn't know what to think of it, and it was that 7th listen when I was certain of just how good it was. It was equally melodic and light in musical tone as Paranoid, which was a surprise, I had been imagining a scenario like Lonely, a song that is somewhat pretending to be happy, but in truth is rather dark. In fact, just before sitting down to write this, I realized that there are some who are genuinely disappointed or angry about it, believing, essentially, that Palaye has sold out.
I ask, in response, how far your head has travelled up your ass, and whether you need me to provide you with a map in order to get out.
Broken is nothing short of proof that the hints of greatness we have glimpsed in short snippets of songs is in fact present and coming our way. The song is 3 minutes and 10 seconds long, and reminds me very much of Dying in a Hot Tub, the verses come in and are emotional and mellow, with build up to the bombastic choruses, with an impressively anthemic bridge, but it's more than that.
The song is written from the band, particularly Remington's perspective, but also as if it is coming from you. The first verse comes from your perspective, the second from your partners, and the songs end acknowledges the cracks in everyone, accepting the flaws in both people in any relationship. It is a story from multiple perspectives at once without sounding strange when voiced by a single person. The song, like the three previous singles, features the blending of the rock, pop, and classical influences that have always inspired the band, and once again does it well.
However, despite my belief Palaye Royale is only as good as it is because all three brothers equally contribute, I feel like I have to lavish praise on Remington for this one, the lyrics that he wrote and the vulnerability of those lyrics and their vocal delivery provoke thoughts and emotions with a practiced ease. Then of course Remington goes and pulls out some of the highest vocals he has ever recorded, and allows some of the accented stylism of Morning Light, Doom, and the cover of Mad World to creep into his voice, which works for the song extremely well. I cant imagine the amount of honesty and emotional openness one would have to bring to the table to deliver a track like this, and I am in awe of the fact that as a band they have done so time and time again.
Furthermore, the music video was not only a masterfully constructed movie filmed in a Prague monastery, that is said to lead directly into the video for Oblivion, another Fever Dream track, but it absolutely exploded. the video hit 1 million views in 4 days, the quickest climb to 1 million for a Palaye Royale music video so far.
It has been confirmed by the band that the next single, the title track of the upcoming Fever Dream album, will be released, along with the album release date, preorders, and the world tour, before the line of festivals they are set to play this summer, starting august 12th, and they have revealed that the song is over 5 minutes long, and likely the best song they have ever written. That song is less than 3 months away, and I for one can barely wait, and will continue to listen to Broken and the other three singles as I wait.
I give Broken a score/rating of 100, a score which I designate are or will become the greatest songs or albums of all time.
You can find Palaye Royale at their website: https://www.palayeroyale.com/
Comments