ROYAL REPUBLIC - 'LoveCop' Album Review

Tracklist:

Intro My House
My House
LoveCop
Wow! Wow! Wow!
Freakshow
Lazerlove
Boots
Love Somebody
Ain't Got Time
Electra
Sha-La-La-Lady

Swedish quartet ROYAL REPUBLIC, release their 5th album, 'LoveCop' on the 7th of June via Odessey Music.

The self-proclaimed power disco band are really going for it with this album, it feels a bit like they’ve thrown the kitchen sink, plumbing and work surface at it. There are loads of fantastic different songs on it and lots of moments in songs as well but, for me, it doesn’t quite 100% gel as an album. As a body of work, the songs are individually impressive but there feels like there is a lack of cohesion regarding what the theme of the album or vibe is.

That being said, the playing is top quality, the musicianship excellent, the singing great (I am not quite as convinced by the rapping) and the sheer passion, joy and commitment shines through. There are a number of individual songs that should be troubling download charts and pushing for being played throughout the summer across Europe and much wider. It just feels like at times they’ve almost tried too hard. There are a couple of songs where they would be much better being stripped back a bit, taken back to basics with just a focus on the song itself.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of quality on show in this album, you should definitely investigate it, but it doesn’t feel like the kind of album you put on and play from beginning to end. More one to dip in and out of. I’m thinking about adding some of the songs to various playlists.

I gave this album a four for the sheer infectious joy, the rifftastic songs, the desire it creates to make me want to get up and move but I couldn’t quite stretch to a five as it’s not an album, more a collection of excellent tracks.

I don’t know if there is a plan to tour this album around the UK this year but if there is I’d be keen to go as I suspect many of these songs will only fully reach their potential live causing mass dancing and singing along.

ROYAL REPUBLIC are not a band I know, and I don’t know how this compares against their previous work, but I enjoyed it and am going to investigate their back catalogue a bit now to see what the previous four albums are like.