Royal Blood felt “self-inflicted” pressure when making their fourth album but they’ve insisted the process “felt more enjoyable”.
Rockers Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher are returning to the charts with their fourth record ‘Back To The Water Below’ – which is due for release on September 8 – and frontman Kerr admitted there was a lot riding on their studio sessions.
He told NME.com: “There’s pressure every time you make a record. For us, the majority of that pressure is self-inflicted because you’re only as good as the last thing you made. Exterior pressure is really damaging because you’re trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. We have high standards for each other, and ourselves. As long as we’re both impressed by each other, we know we’re on to something that’s worth pursuing.”
Thatcher added of the new album: “This record felt more enjoyable than the previous two, just because we got to let loose a little bit with it. With the first album, we had no idea how it was going to go down and it’s the same kind of thing this time around. But, we have the confidence behind us now [because] we’ve made three other albums.”
The drummer went on to reveal they aren’t scared to try different styles and insisted the new album covers new ground compared to the three previous records.
He added: “It’s nice to venture out and explore some other avenues. This album really does that.”
‘Back To The Water Below’ is the band first album since ‘Typhoons’ which landed in April 2021.