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Back to the Water Below
Studio album by
Royal Blood
Released1 September 2023
Recorded2022
Genre Rock
Length31:22
Label Warner
ProducerRoyal Blood
Royal Blood chronology
Typhoons
(2021) 		Back to the Water Below
(2023)
Singles from Back to the Water Below
  1. "Mountains at Midnight"
    Released: 25 May 2023 [1]
  2. "Pull Me Through"
    Released: 13 July 2023 [2]

Back to the Water Below is the fourth studio album by English rock duo Royal Blood. It was released on 1 September 2023 by Warner Records. The album is produced by the band themselves, having previously self-produced the majority of their previous album. It received acclaim from critics.

Background

Back to the Water Below was recorded in Royal Blood's home studio in Brighton. Of the decision to produce the album themselves as opposed to minor input from outside producers as the band had done on their previous records, frontman Mike Kerr said in an interview with NME that the recording process allowed the band to "[force themselves] to do things that came naturally". [3] The album title takes its name from a lyric in the song "Pull Me Through." [4]

Promotion

The band began teasing new music on Instagram on 12 May 2023, [5] with the first in a series of videos being released showing work being done in the studio, such as demos of new riffs.

On 25 May 2023, the album's lead single "Mountains at Midnight" was released alongside an accompanying music video. [6]

The band released the second single from the album, "Pull Me Through", on 13 July 2023.

The band toured North America and Europe in support of the album, [7] including as an opening act for Muse on their Will of the People World Tour in the summer. The band then embarked on their own headlining tour in the autumn. [8] [9]

Bonus edition

The deluxe edition of Back to the Water Below was accompanied by a bonus 7" that included the two B-sides of the album, "Supermodel Avalanches" and "Everything's Fine". [10]

Although fans received both bonus tracks well, "Supermodel Avalanches" was met with particularly high acclaim from fans of the band, who widely demanded the song be released officially on streaming services. After teasing the song online, the band debuted the song live on 15 November at a gig at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. [11] The song became a mainstay of the setlist, and on 19 December, the band released Back to the Water Below (Bonus Edition) onto all streaming services and platforms, which included "Supermodel Avalanches" as an eleventh bonus track. [12] The release was presented as a Christmas gift, with the band wishing their fans a "Merry Riffmas" as a part of the release.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100 [13]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY [14]
Far Out [15]
Kerrang! [16]
The Line of Best Fit7/10 [17]
Medium56/100 [18]
Mojo [19]
NME [20]
Rolling Stone [21]
The Telegraph [22]

Back to the Water Below received a score of 81 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [13] Mojo stated that it has "top-drawer tunes throughout", [19] while Kerrang!'s Mark Sutherland noted that it "really ought to broaden Royal Blood's appeal still further" with its "tightly-wound riffing and ludicrous lyrics". [16] Erica Campbell of NME described it as "an album that highlights the band's rock and roll instincts, self-knowledge and ability to generate something new with a bass, drums and zero hand holding". [20]

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph summarised that "rock fans should be delighted that Kerr and Thatcher are still in the ring, giving it everything they've got" as "lyricist Kerr sounds like he has been in the wars" and "like a man undergoing changes, using music to understand himself". [22] Finlay Holden of The Line of Best Fit called Back to the Water Below "simultaneously a refinement and expansion of the Royal Blood formula" as well as "a short and snappy experience". [17] DIY's Sarah Jamieson felt that the duo "mov[e] away from the more shallow-sounding confines of its predecessor" and "manage to make a return to the towering riffs that populated their early releases, while adding some much-needed dynamism". [14]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Mike Kerr; all music is composed by Royal Blood

Back to the Water Below track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Mountains at Midnight"3:06
2."Shiner in the Dark"3:27
3."Pull Me Through"3:08
4."The Firing Line"3:22
5."Tell Me When It's Too Late"2:44
6."Triggers"2:55
7."How Many More Times"3:11
8."High Waters"2:45
9."There Goes My Cool"2:56
10."Waves"3:48
Total length:31:22
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Honeybrains"3:06
Deluxe edition bonus 7"
No.TitleLength
1."Supermodel Avalanches"3:05
2."Everything's Fine"2:48

Personnel

Royal Blood

  • Mike Kerr – vocals, backing vocals, bass, production (all tracks); synthesizer (tracks 2, 5–7), piano (3, 4, 7, 9, 10), keyboards (8), guitar (10)
  • Ben Thatcher – drums, percussion, production

Guest musicians

  • Tom Hobden – viola, violin (9, 10)
  • Ian Burdge – cello (10)

Technical

Charts

References

  1. ^ Childers, Chad (25 May 2023). "Royal Blood Drop Heavy Grooving New Song 'Mountains at Midnight,' Announce New Album". Loudwire. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  2. ^ Duran, Anagricel (13 July 2023). "Royal Blood find strength in support on new single 'Pull Me Through'". NME. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. ^ Trendell, Andrew (25 May 2023). "Royal Blood drop 'Mountains At Midnight' and tell us about new album Back to the Water Below". NME. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Royal Blood premieres new 'Back to the Water Below' track, "Pull Me Through"". KUPD. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  5. ^ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsHERMRIrcZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
  6. ^ Johnson, Jaden (29 May 2023). "Royal Blood Announces New Album Back to the Water Below for Sept 2023 Release and Share New Single "Mountains at Midnight"". mxdwn Music. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  7. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (31 May 2023). "Royal Blood announce new North American tour dates". NME. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  8. ^ Carter, Emily (19 August 2022). "Muse announce massive UK shows with Royal Blood". Kerrang!. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  9. ^ Stickler, Jon (26 May 2023). "Royal Blood Announce New Album 'Back To The Water Below' And Autumn UK Tour". Stereoboard. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  10. ^ https://store.royalbloodband.com/products/deluxe-lp
  11. ^ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/royal-blood/2023/crystal-ballroom-portland-or-ba13922.html
  12. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/C1ArXFXK5J1/?hl=en&img_index=1
  13. ^ a b "Back to the Water Below by Royal Blood Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  14. ^ a b Jamieson, Sarah (1 September 2023). "Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below review". DIY. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  15. ^ Burton, Poppy (31 August 2023). "Royal Blood – 'Back To The Water Below' album review: A crucial moment of reinvention". Far Out. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  16. ^ a b Sutherland, Mark (1 September 2023). "Album review: Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below". Kerrang!. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  17. ^ a b Holden, Finlay (29 August 2023). "Royal Blood: Back to the Water Below Review – cohesion and fluctuating journey". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  18. ^ Boothby, Joe (16 September 2023). "Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below – Album Review". Medium. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below". Mojo. October 2023. p. 78.
  20. ^ a b Campbell, Erica (31 August 2023). "Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below review: an instinctive return to their roots". NME. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  21. ^ Goggins, Joe (1 September 2023). "Royal Blood, 'Back To The Water Below' review: won't rattle your bones, but it's perfectly fine". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  22. ^ a b McCormick, Neil (1 September 2023). "Royal Blood battle their demons – the week's best albums". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  23. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  28. ^ "Top Albums (Week 36, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  30. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 36. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  31. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Royal Blood". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  32. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  33. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 01.09.2023–07.09.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  35. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  36. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  37. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  39. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  40. ^ Smith, Carl (20 January 2024). "Official Record Store Chart 2023: the biggest albums in the UK's independent record shops". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
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