Royalty: Eroica – single review

Royalty – Eroica (Five Easy Pieces)
DL / 12″
Available now

Latest single from Royalty may come on coloured vinyl but fails to thrill our reviewer.

After recent underground success with two EP’s (Royalty and Purple Nights), Royalty make a return with the perplexingly monikered ”˜Eroica’. Unfortunately, that’s not the only befuddling thing about this release.

Taking inspiration from synth heavy 80’s posturers and the more recent revivalists of eye wateringly hip nostalgia such as M83 and Kavinsky, Royalty have created a rather pleasant, if uninspiring offering. The title track is most definitely better listened to as an instrumental, for the breathy and apathetic vocals of vocalist ”˜Kissey’ do absolutely nothing to enhance the tune itself.

There’s a god-awful remix, which manages to make the original sound even more lethargic and the only saving grace comes in the form of ”˜Vector Glide’, which sounds like a cut track from the ”˜Drive’ soundtrack, which is clearly the intention.

It’s the kind of music of which it’s almost impossible to figure out what you should be doing whilst listening to it. It’s what I imagine joyless fashion models listen to at gallery openings and such and therefore is so far beyond my realm of comprehension I am going to say no more.

”˜Eroica’ is available as a limited edition coloured vinyl, which you can purchase, Instagram and then wear as a hat.

All words by Colin McCracken. You can read more from Colin on LTW here, or on his website here or follow him on Twitter.