Supported during their previous lap by the pope of stoner rock Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher had offered us with Typhoons a dancing and enjoyable album, a superb snub to the pandemic doldrums.

We would have liked to see the duo continue in this avenue, but the two friends from Brighton have instead chosen to explore a joint formula which turns out to be a little lukewarm.

However, it starts off well with Mountains At Midnight and Shiner In The Dark, Kerr’s greasy bass relying as it should on Thatcher’s powerful pulsations. We are reassured and ready to be taken elsewhere. Pull Me Through marks the turn with its disturbing honky-tonk piano chords which add to the tension of this excellent piece. Atmosphere renewed in The Firing Line, Mike Kerr turning again not only to the piano, but also to bass chords, clear and defined, which is rather new with Royal Blood.

Tell Me When It’s Too Late then arrives with a more danceable formula reminiscent of Typhoons, with a big, heavy and well-crafted riff backed without restraint by Thatcher’s noisy drums. However, it starts to run out of steam on Triggers, before getting stuck in a series of more or less inspired power ballads. Fortunately, the excellent Waves brings the ship back to port with a planing and mature piece that could prove beneficial for the future of the duo. We will have to see what lessons Kerr and Thatcher can draw from this less conclusive exercise.