Kinda Review: Boom Boom Room (Side B) - Palaye Royale Album

Full disclaimer: I started writing this the night the album came out so this is very much HYPE! I am hoping that by the time I post this, I will be able to insert the videos for each song, but if not they will all be linked in the song titles.

I recently wrote a blog post about why I love Palaye Royale. You can find it here. So I don't have to get into why I love Palaye Royale and why they are my new favorite band. That post explains it all.

But in case you're too lazy to read that post - we've all been there - I will say that Palaye Royale is my aesthetic band. And their lead singer, Remington Leith, is my favorite singer at the moment. I wrote a blog post about my favorite singers which you can find here.

But let's get to why you were drawn to this post. Let's talk about Palaye Royale's new album Boom Boom Room (Side B).

This is the album cover minus the title and band name

Let me be the first to say, I am NOT a critic. All thing I "review" on this blog are things I enjoy unless someone asks me to review something specific.

Side note: I don't want it to look like I'm favoring Remington. I just am a HUGE fan of good voices and voices that stand out. And his is the quality content I have searched for my whole life. If I was an actual music critic and knew more technical terms or how to actually talk about music, I'd talk more about Emerson and Sebastian's skills but all I can say is everything about every song is GREAT. Quality content the world deserves. I apologize for being such a dunce.

So let's get to it. I am going to go song by song. I am listening to the album as I write this because I love it so much.

1. "Death Dance"

In my post about the band, I said this is my favorite song from them. I still love this song, but the whole album has amazed. My favorite line from the song is "We all got lost in Jesus, but he can't take away my pain". I don't know why that line sticks out to me so much, but catch that as my first lyric tattoo. I love the song so much and I love the artsy-ness - not a word, I know - of the music video. I'm a nerd and I like good music videos, even if the band isn't necessarily in it. When I finally watched the music video it was like I knew this band somehow understood me. I will say that the first time I heard this song the lines "We live in an age where sex and horror are Gods / We live in an age where all our bodies are flawed" I was shook in the best way possible. I remember my reaction to those lines were "YES!". True story. Have I mentioned how much I love this band?

2. "Teenage Heartbreak Queen"

I remember the hype of when they released this song. And I know I instantly fell in love with this song. And the video was "artsy" similar to the "Death Dance" video, but also not similar. It had the same feel. I love the song. The guitar, in the beginning, is so nice. Nice isn't the right word, but I don't know what other words to use. The drums go hard in most if not all the songs. It sort of gives off vibes of being friend zoned. I mean it goes "I fell in love with my best friend / She fell asleep with you instead". I feel like I just need to say that Remington's vocals are SO good in this song. Like he's great in all the songs, but specifically this song. I am such a dunce when I talk about music. This song goes so hard on my senses and my feelings. I have no idea how to explain that further. It's just a really good song.

3. "You'll Be Fine"

This is the second song from the band I ever heard - as I mentioned before I am a VERY new fan. The music video is SO good. I love LOVE good music videos. I have shown this song to nearly every member of my family except for my parents. I am waiting to introduce my dad to Palaye Royale. Soon. But I love this song. This is the song that made me realize that I really like this band. I can't even pinpoint why. I just remember listening to it for the first time and having a moment when I realized I may like them more than I like Panic! at the Disco. And I do. Can we quickly talk about their outfits? This band really is my aesthetic in every way. I would like to give a specific shout out to Remington's Beetlejuice suit. Don't think that was what he was going for. But that's the first thing I thought of when I saw it. Also, a big shout out to Emerson on drums because holy crap he went hard. I really wish I knew how to talk about music. One day I'll be good at talking about music.

4. "Dying in a Hot Tub"

If I cannot insert the audio video for this, I will insert the video of Palaye Royale in a hot tub. Actually, I'll insert that video anyway because it's iconic. This song is a BOP but also kind of sad if you listen to the lyrics. I will say in this song Remington's vocals stand out again to me. Is it about someone with a substance abuse problem? Is it about someone who's so deep in their own depression they're losing hope? I don't know, but I love the overall sound of the song. The lines that stick out to me are "Oh, you're a dinosaur today / Then you're an astronaut tomorrow / You're a spaceman in the Milky Way / Looking for ways outside". Specifically, the line "looking for ways outside" hits me because I am notorious for my daydreaming and using my writing as my escapism when I feel like life gets too much for me.

5. "Mrs. Famous (My Sweetness)

I was finally able to insert the video for this, yay! But this song, along with the ones before it is good. My interpretation of the song is the singer fell for a girl who doesn't return his love. She uses him and he's getting sick of it. He loves her, but he's had it with her. She's playing hard to get and I feel like it's one of those "if I can't have you no one can" situations because he does threaten to kill her. It's a kinda dark song. Did I mention how much I love this band? You can get a sense of him getting fed up with the lines "Stole my last cigarette / You run me dry / I try and catch your name / You leave me wondering why / You got my heart / With just one look / As I laid my eyes on you, yeah / You read me like a book". Then he continues to lament how she never really paid him attention. Being that he never got her name, as he calls her "Missus Infamous" it very much could be more of a stalker situation. Maybe she's not interested, but he doesn't get the message. It's a bit unnerving if that's what the song is about, but it's a bop.

6. "Hospital Beds"

Firstly, I have to comment on the piano at the beginning. And then Remington's vocals. This song is a BOP you can dance to. I don't have an interpretation for this song. It could be a lot of things. It could very much be about suicide because of the line "leave the living for today and dying for tomorrow" and "no, I can't tell you how to say goodbye". I mean possibly the she that dances on her hospital bed can be death. Maybe? I'm bad at interpret ting things on my own. But can we talk about the bridge? "Well, I saw the world at it's worst / And I lived with Jesus first / I am so blessed and cursed / Layin' in the back of this Cadillac hearse / I saw an angel cry / You saw the devil die / Well, I have the last goodbye / Layin' in the back of the Cadillac hearse". The lyrics are great. The music. Remington's vocals. Every single time the piano comes in on this song I die a little - but in a good way. This song is just so good! Also is "Fell from the heavens, I'm the sun king" a Beatles reference? It's probably not, but post about the Beatles coming soon!

7. "Love the Void"

Gonna come right out and say it. The beginning of this song gave me Beatles vibes and it had nothing to do with me thinking they made a reference to them in the last song. This song is a lot to take in. Is it a someone trying to stop their friend from committing suicide or is it someone not wanting to accept their friend is dead?  The chorus goes "Stop there, I won't let you / Drop dead in your bedroom / Moonchild won't see another day". Is Moonchild the singer or the friend? Also don't be surprised if you catch me in person and I'm covered in tattoos of Palaye Royale's lyrics. I have to say my favorite lines in the whole song is "Well, one day you'll die / But not to-fucking-night".  Is "Wake up, you'll be just fine" a reference back to the song "You'll Be Fine"? Like I've said, I cannot express how much I love this band and their music. The song ends with "No I won't say goodnight" which brings up my question again. Is this someone who doesn't want to accept their friend is gone, or are they trying to save their friend? I think it's my favorite off the album at the moment.

8. "The Boom"

I've only been a fan of Palaye Royale for less than three months, but the feel of this pulled on my heartstrings a bit. I'm not going to get too much into it, but I just read the actual transcript of the voice they used and read a little background and when I first said this band achieves my aesthetic, I wasn't ready for THIS. You can read the transcript here. I don't think it right to call it lyrics. But wow. I am blown away. And the music was so pretty and complimented what was being said.

Overall, I absolutely loved the album with all of my soul. It's definitely in my top three favorite albums of all time.

Rate: 10/10

Go listen to it, if you have not. Tell me what your favorite song off the album is. Mine is "Love the Void".

I used Genius.com for all the lyrics. That link is to the Boom Boom Room (Side B) lyrics.