From the exultant yell of “come on, alright!?”, right at the start of “Carry On” and its first song “Troublemaker” its clear that Grande Royale are back.
That statement, in fairness, needs qualification, because on reflection, the implication of that is that 2019’s “Take It Easy” wasn’t magnificent (it was), but as I noted in the review: “there are some significant changes.”
In practice that was a band who, for a laugh, freshened it up. There was some horns, the odd bit of Muscle Shoals style soul, and the sound of a band of expanding.
With “Carry On”, the vibe is back to the “classic” GR sound, except – maybe – slightly heavier and a bit more punk. Want a reference point? Think Hellacopters rather than Imperial State Electric (if you know….)
For 32 glorious minutes this is like a glitter cannon going off and spraying out sherbet dip. It fizzes, it’s a sugar rush – and its brilliant.
“Meet me at Troublemaker Street” sings Gustav Wremer as he and Andreas Jenå trade breakneck licks. No idea where it is, but they are up to no good. This type of lo-slung beauty is rare. The harmonies of “One Of A Kind”, the layers of guitar, the fact there’s about 47 lead breaks in the space of three minutes. The energy. They probably need a nap in the afternoons like the 2 year olds at nursery. Except these boys are rock stars and they ain’t even up by 2pm.
They strut. And you imagine they are clad in spandex while doing the bass rumble of “Bang”, while “Let It All Go” is so full of beans that it might actually be the best thing here. Break-ups haven’t sounded this happy since the Yo-yo’s wrote “Half Hour Heartbreak.” A warning: this chorus is serious. It will ruin your afternoon. “Not The Same” understands its garage punk, and as it’s only played at 90mph, for this record, its mid-paced.
If you want to analyse this, then fair do’s, I’d rather enjoy it on a visceral level, but if we really must (which I suppose is the point of writing 600 words….) then the title track is where you start. “This kind of music will always carry on”. Sorted.
Now, back to enjoying it, yeah? Good. These boys know, you see. There’s just a little pinch of Motorhead about “Ain’t Got Soul”, but it just celebrates rock n roll, so why wouldn’t Lemmy approve?
“Stayin’ Dry” is the Oasis moment, if you will. The hit single. And wouldn’t that be amazing? “Headbangers Ball” is as self explanatory as its title. NWOBHM done Swedish style? Well not quite, but there’s a gallop here, that’s for sure.
One of the highlights, though – and perhaps the joint best along with “……Go” – is “Just As Bad As You” which not only features Dregen (I am going to skip right ahead here and assume if you have made it this far in the review, then you know who that is….) it sounds as riotous as that suggests.
“Schizoid Lullaby” sounds like the title of an Alice Cooper demo, and it is close as this gets to ballad. Like, its nowhere near a ballad, but it dials down the sugar lumps and Wremer really stretches the vocal chords before the solo soars – and there’s a pause for breath.
I am writing this on the first anniversary of the UK’s lockdown measures being put in place. “Carry On” simultaneously seems like the light at the end of the tunnel, the proof that life isn’t all bad and moreover a reward. Pick which one of the three most applies.
Rating 9.5/10
