Blacklist Royals – Righteous Child

Blacklist Royals have graced us with a new 7″. Two songs, packed into little more than 5 minutes. 

Righteous Child starts with a minimalist melody, scratchy vocals and simple piano. When the full band kicks in, they retain the melody while building a solid rock and roll song. There are synthesizers that are reminiscent of The Killers, anthemic moments Bruce Springsteen would be proud of and enough edge to satisfy fans of The Menzingers. This has all of the elements to be excessively popular in some outer punk sub-genre. It is a heartfelt plea to lost love, a melancholy look back at the past. The lyrics remind you that even the toughest leather jacket wearing jaded punks have a heart beating. Young hearts in a cage tacked up on my wall, but they’re hard to look at now… made it through another bad year somehow. The imagery is powerful, painting solid pictures in your mind. It is easy to relate to the lyrics, I remember you with your shoulders draped in my jacket; you had your bangs cut short like some second hand doo wop queen and think back on better days. They tug at the heartstrings with this well written track.

The foil to the mainstream sounding Righteous Child is a solid wake up call. Fuzzed out vocals and spastic guitars create a garage rock chaos in She’s the One. The dramatic increase in tempo is uplifting after the melancholy opening track. The succinct song is summed up by the simple proclamation Boys I think she’s the one, which is repeated frequently in the minute and a half.

Righteous Child is a drunken guy sitting alone at the bar on a weeknight, half talking to the bartender as he tops up his endless pint glass, half mumbling to himself fighting back tears as he looks at a crumpled up photograph. The light is dim at the end of the bar and Springsteen’s You’re Missing is playing on the jukebox of the dusty blue collar pub. The night stretches on forever. Late night drunken phone calls, asking do you think I could come around, the way I used to do? 

She’s the One is a guy out with his best friends on the weekend, the ones he has known most of his life, filling them in on the reason behind the goofy smile plastered on his face. They’re all celebrating the news, excited to see their buddy happy for the first time in a long time. The indescribable feeling of new love (which scientists have discovered is akin to a heroin high… and just as fleeting) is on the air and there are plenty of hugs, high fives and all around happy drunken revelry moments. The youthful joy lives up to the Live Fast, Die Young tattoos, and energy levels are high and the night explodes like a firework, bright and full of promise.

This is a 7”. There are only 2 songs. Yet, Blacklist Royals have managed to build a well-rounded release through two very different tracks that provide an examination of the ups and downs of the love. They say that there are two sides to every story and both are examined in depth here. This is one hell of a one-two punch and definitely worth seeking out. Those who fall madly in love with this 7″ will be happy to learn that both tracks are scheduled to appear on their upcoming full length release as well.