As soon as
Typhoons kicks off with a stomping fuzz guitar riff that morphs into a disco beat, it's clear producer
Josh Homme hasn't shied away from pushing
Royal Blood into his wheelhouse. Oversized guitars battle with cheekily tacky hooks and beats throughout
Typhoons, a signature move of
Homme's whether he's working with
Queens of the Stone Age or
the Desert Sessions.
Royal Blood embrace this trash aesthetic without losing their muscle or might, as the thrashing "Boilermaker" makes clear.
Typhoons certainly doesn't sound as garagey or heavy as either of
Royal Blood's first two records. There's a swing to the rhythms and a swagger to the duo's delivery, a lightness of touch that is quite appealing. For the first time,
Royal Blood sounds like they're having fun and those good spirits are infectious.
Typhoons is designed as a late-night party record and if
Homme occasionally pushes
Royal Blood to lean in a bit too hard in this direction, the results are quite effective. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine