Alternative rock band Palaye Royale has finally released their long awaited album Boom Boom Room Side B. In 2016, Boom Boom Room Side A came out and while I didn’t initially discover Palaye Royale until earlier this year, the moment I heard them it is safe to say that I was hooked. When I heard that they were going to be coming out with a Side B of Boom Boom Room, it was very exciting for me, but at the same time I found myself being a little bit let down because after 2 years it seems as though they were given some sort of budget that affected the length of this album. I almost find this to be somewhat ironic because Side A in my opinion ran on a little too long.

The lead single to this album, “You’ll Be Fine” definitely seems to show the band maneuvering into more of a dark territory but also heavy. I love just about everything that this song has to offer, such as the guitars, drums, and once again Remington Leith as a vocalist and I feel that this just shows how much they’ve grown as musicians over these past two years.

The second single off this album, and one of my personal favorites, “Death Dance” has a very good bridge as it talks about how “We live in an age, where sex and whores are gods. We live in an age, where all of our bodies are flawed…” Most people would just shy pass a topic like this but Palaye Royale just dives right into it. It has a very catchy chorus and while at times it does feel a little repetitive, that doesn’t change the fact that this is a pretty solid track in my opinion.

“Teenage Heartbreak Queen” is one of those songs that you don’t really dislike but it’s also not a favorite. This is a track that just kind of feels like a middle of the road rock song and while again I don’t necessarily dislike this song, I will admit it isn’t one of the best tracks on this album.

Unfortunately, the next song has a very similar feeling to it. “Mrs. Infamous” has a very catchy pre chorus that got stuck in my head off of first listen but just has a few gimmicks in it that are just kind of meh to me.

“Hospital Beds” on the other is a complete turn around as it just makes you want to get up and dance with the colorful pianos, vibrant instrumentals, and to no surprise the vocals are just as great.

“Love The Void” is a song that is very important to this album and from what I have heard, they’ve played this song a few times live and to much pleasure for all fans, the studio version was definitely able to live up to the live version. The bells, the vocals, and even the reference to their previous song “You’ll Be Fine” gives this album a moment that should truly grab the listener and pull them in.

The closer to this album, “The Boom” doesn’t really work for me. In my opinion it would almost work better as an opener and while I can at least respect the sentiments of this track, I just don’t think it works very well as a closer.

I figured that I would save the best for last and in this case, it’d be “Dying In A Hot Tub.” If you don’t feel like checking out this entire album I would at the very least suggest you give this song a listen because while I enjoyed just about every song on this album, I have to say that this is my favorite. Just based on the title, you don’t really know what to expect and may even be a bit confused. While listening to it though you can just feel how charismatic this song really is and just how much there is going on, especially with the chorus that just hits every possible point even though the pacing of the song changes a few times throughout.

Overall while I feel this album is short, it is still very worthwhile for the most part and I feel the album length was out of the band’s hands and more so falls onto the shoulders of Sumerian Records. Even though not every song on this album is necessarily memorable, I can at least see the purpose of each song and why they were recorded. The band very clearly wants to release more music and has more songs to play live. Hopefully after their upcoming tour they can get back into the studio and start working on some new material.

“Boom Boom Room Side B”

Sumerian Records

Release: 9/28/18

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Tracks: Dying In A Hot Tub, Death Dance, Love The Void, Hospital Beds, You’ll Be Fine

Least Favorite Tracks: Teenage Heartbreak Queen, Mrs. Infamous (My Sweetness)

Album Tracklisting

1. Death Dance
2. Teenage Heartbreak Queen
3. You’ll Be Fine
4. Dying In A Hot Tub
5. Mrs. Infamous (My Sweetness)
6. Hospital Beds
7. Love The Void
8. The Boom