The Bastards
Studio album by
Palaye Royale
ReleasedMay 29, 2020 (2020-05-29)
Length46:03
LabelSumerian
Palaye Royale chronology
Boom Boom Room (Side B)
(2018)		 The Bastards
(2020)		 Fever Dream
(2022)

The Bastards is the third studio album by Canadian-American rock band Palaye Royale, released May 29, 2020 by Sumerian Records. It reached no. 12 on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums Chart and no. 27 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart.[1]

Background

The Bastards was recorded in several different locations, including studios in London, England and Joshua Tree, California.[2] Five songs were released as singles with videos before the album was completed: "Lonely",[2] "Massacre, The New American Dream",[3] "Hang on to Yourself",[4] "Fucking with My Head",[5] and "Nervous Breakdown".[6]

The Bastards is a concept album about a formerly expressive society that has been subdued by toxic politics.[7] The songs are divided into four acts describing different eras in the hypothetical society's history.[8] Lyrical topics include mental health, drug addiction, and gun violence.[9] The album's lyrics are more socially-oriented than on the band's previous albums, and proceeds from the single "Massacre, The New American Dream" were donated to gun violence advocacy charities.[3] Guitarist Sebastian Danzig explained that the opening track "Little Bastards" sets up the lyrics of the rest of the album: "The vulnerability, the truth and the aggression all wrapped together in a three and a half minute track which will set the listener up for what is to come for the next 14 tracks and what corners we will touch."[10]

The album is connected to a graphic novel called The Bastards Vol. 1, which was released in December 2020, with art by drummer Emerson Barrett.[11][12] Videos from the album were based on imagery from a previous graphic novel by Barrett called Neutopian.[4]

Critical reception

The Bastards has received generally positive reviews from the rock press. According to Kerrang!, the album shows that Palaye Royale "have successfully carved out their own niche of glitzy yet gritty rock'n'roll that dares you to deny them," but also noted that some songs with string sections and other enhancements sound "overwrought".[13] New Noise describes the album as "Heavy, yes, but also tender, expressive, painful, and lovely all rolled into a bombastic presentation of emotion and musical perfection."[7] Wall of Sound praised the album for combining "emo pop sensibilities with a rock-and-roll essence that is rare in today’s musical landscape."[8]

Classic Rock magazine noted a lack of subtlety on the album, while it "creaks beneath the huge weight of expectation and its own loud and lavish, hard-edged pop production values" but still concluded that the album represents "a spectacular evolution" in the band's sound.[9] Dead Press criticized a few songs for being uneven but concluded that the album "sees Palaye Royale take another step towards the perfect blend of experimentalism and commercialism."[14] Distorted Sound described the album favorably as "a modern twist of indie-pop/pop-rock that for the first time unearths the band's bold political takes with intrinsically punk values weaved throughout."[15]

Track listing

The Bastards track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Little Bastards"Andrew Martin, Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:38
2."Massacre, The New American Dream"Daniel Curcio, Emerson Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Kropp, Sebastian Kropp3:06
3."Anxiety"Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:14
4."Tonight is the Night I Die"Emerson Barrett, Daniel Curcio, Sebastian Danzig, Remington Leith, Matt Pauling2:52
5."Lonely"Emerson Barrett Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:06
6."Hang on to Yourself"Adam Slack, Emerson Barrett, Josh Wilkinson, Luke Spiller, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leigh, Remington Leith, Sebastian Danzig2:37
7."Fucking with My Head"Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp2:44
8."Nervous Breakdown"Emerson Barrett Kropp, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:21
9."Nightmares"Andrew Martin, Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leith Kropp,Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:38
10."Masochist"Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:37
11."Doom (Empty)"Andrew Martin, Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp2:06
12."Black Sheep"Andrew Martin, Christopher Dean Greatti, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:35
13."Stay"Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:42
14."Redeemer"Emerson Barrett Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp3:20
15."Lord of Lies"Daniel Curcio, Emerson Barrett Kropp, Matthew Pauling, Remington Leith Kropp, Sebastian Danzig Kropp1:33
Total length:46:03

Note: "Lord of Lies" is a bonus track on some editions of the album.

Personnel

  • Remington Leith – lead vocals
  • Sebastian Danzig – guitar, keyboards
  • Emerson Barrett – drums, piano

Charts

Chart performance for The Bastards
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[16] 30
US Billboard 200[17] 192
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18] 24
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[19] 12
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[20] 27

References

  1. ↑ "Palaye Royale Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Childers, Chad (March 13, 2020). "Palaye Royale Reveal 'Lonely' Video, Announce 'The Bastards' Disc". Loudwire. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  3. 1 2 Trapp, Philip (November 21, 2019). "Palaye Royale Protest Gun Violence With Pointed 'Massacre' Song". Loudwire. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  4. 1 2 DiVita, Joe (October 18, 2019). "Palaye Royale's New Era Realized on 'Hang On To Yourself'". Loudwire. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  5. ↑ Childers, Chad (June 28, 2019). "Palaye Royale Reveal Vibrant New Song 'F***ing With My Head'". Loudwire. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  6. ↑ Trapp, Philip (July 9, 2019). "Palaye Royale Head for a 'Nervous Breakdown' in New Video". Loudwire. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  7. 1 2 "Album Review: Palaye Royale - The Bastards". New Noise Magazine. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  8. 1 2 May, Tamara (2020-05-25). "Palaye Royale – The Bastards (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  9. 1 2 Berelian 29, Essi (May 29, 2020). "Palaye Royale: The Bastards - primed to explode like a spectacular firework display of misery". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Raine, India (2020-05-27). "Album Review: Palaye Royale – 'The Bastards'". Good Call Live. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  11. ↑ Childers, Chad (November 1, 2020). "Palaye Royale Announce 'The Bastards' Graphic Novel + 2021 North American Tour Dates". Loudwire. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  12. ↑ "Palaye Royale Graphic Novel 'The Bastards: Vol 1' Out Now". Sonic Perspectives. 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  13. ↑ "Album Review: Palaye Royale – The Bastards". Kerrang!. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  14. ↑ "Album Review: Palaye Royale - The Bastards". Dead Press!. 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  15. ↑ "Album Review: The Bastards - Palaye Royale". Distorted Sound Magazine. 2020-05-27. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  16. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 23. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Palaye Royale Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Palaye Royale Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Palaye Royale Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Palaye Royale Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
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