Back to the Water Below

Back to the Water Below was recorded in Royal Blood's home studio in Brighton. Of the decision to produce the album themselves as opposed to minor input from outside producers as the band had done on their previous records, frontman Mike Kerr said in an interview with NME that the recording process allowed the band to "[force themselves] to do things that came naturally".{{cite web |last1=Trendell |first1=Andrew |title=Royal Blood drop 'Mountains At Midnight' and tell us about new album Back to the Water Below |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/royal-blood-interview-mountains-midnight-back-to-water-below-jack-white-muse-3448097 |website=NME |access-date=29 May 2023 |date=25 May 2023}} The album title takes its name from a lyric in the song "Pull Me Through."{{cite web|url=https://98kupd.com/royal-blood-premieres-new-back-to-the-water-below-track-pull-me-through/|title=Royal Blood premieres new 'Back to the Water Below' track, "Pull Me Through"|website=KUPD|date=13 July 2023|access-date=7 October 2023}}

The band began teasing new music on Instagram on 12 May 2023,{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsHERMRIrcZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== | title=Instagram }} with the first in a series of videos being released showing work being done in the studio, such as demos of new riffs.

On 25 May 2023, the album's lead single "Mountains at Midnight" was released alongside an accompanying music video.{{cite web|title=Royal Blood Announces New Album Back to the Water Below for Sept 2023 Release and Share New Single "Mountains at Midnight"|url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2023/05/29/news/royal-blood-announces-new-album-back-to-the-water-below-for-sept-2023-release-and-share-new-single-mountains-at-midnight/|website=mxdwn Music|first=Jaden|last=Johnson|access-date=29 May 2023|date=29 May 2023}}

The band released the second single from the album, "Pull Me Through", on 13 July 2023.

The band toured North America and Europe in support of the album,{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/royal-blood-announce-north-american-tour-dates-tickets-3450080|title=Royal Blood announce new North American tour dates|website=NME|first=Liberty|last=Dunworth|date=31 May 2023|access-date=8 October 2023}} including as an opening act for Muse on their Will of the People World Tour in the summer. The band then embarked on their own headlining tour in the autumn.{{cite magazine|title=Muse announce massive UK shows with Royal Blood |url=https://www.kerrang.com/muse-announce-massive-uk-shows-with-royal-blood|magazine=Kerrang!|first=Emily|last=Carter|access-date=29 May 2023|date=19 August 2022}}{{cite web|last1=Stickler|first1=Jon|title=Royal Blood Announce New Album 'Back To The Water Below' And Autumn UK Tour|url=https://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/239661/9|website=Stereoboard|access-date=29 May 2023|date=26 May 2023}}

The deluxe edition of Back to the Water Below was accompanied by a bonus 7" that included the two B-sides of the album, "Supermodel Avalanches" and "Everything's Fine".{{cite web | url=https://store.royalbloodband.com/products/deluxe-lp | title=Back to the Water Below Deluxe Marbled LP Signed Insert }}

Although fans received both bonus tracks well, "Supermodel Avalanches" was met with particularly high acclaim from fans of the band, who widely demanded the song be released officially on streaming services. After teasing the song online, the band debuted the song live on 15 November at a gig at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.{{cite web | url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/royal-blood/2023/crystal-ballroom-portland-or-ba13922.html | title=Royal Blood Setlist at Crystal Ballroom, Portland | website=setlist.fm }} The song became a mainstay of the setlist, and on 19 December, the band released Back to the Water Below (Bonus Edition) onto all streaming services and platforms, which included "Supermodel Avalanches" as an eleventh bonus track.{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C1ArXFXK5J1/?hl=en&img_index=1 | title=Instagram }} The release was presented as a Christmas gift, with the band wishing their fans a "Merry Riffmas" as a part of the release.

{{Music ratings

| MC = 81/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/back-to-the-water-below/royal-blood |title=Back to the Water Below by Royal Blood Reviews and Tracks |website=Metacritic |access-date=3 September 2023}}

| rev1 = DIY

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://diymag.com/review/album/royal-blood-back-to-the-water-below|title=Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below review|magazine=DIY|last=Jamieson|first=Sarah|date=1 September 2023|access-date=3 September 2023}}

| rev2 = Far Out

| rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/royal-blood-back-to-the-water-below-album-review/|title=Royal Blood – 'Back To The Water Below' album review: A crucial moment of reinvention|magazine=Far Out|first=Poppy|last=Burton|date=31 August 2023|access-date=16 October 2023}}

| rev3 = Kerrang!

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-royal-blood-back-to-the-water-below|title=Album review: Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below|magazine=Kerrang!|last=Sutherland|first=Mark|date=1 September 2023|access-date=3 September 2023}}

| rev4 = The Line of Best Fit

| rev4score = 7/10{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/royal-blood-back-to-the-water-below-|title=Royal Blood: Back to the Water Below Review – cohesion and fluctuating journey|website=The Line of Best Fit|last=Holden|first=Finlay|date=29 August 2023|access-date=3 September 2023}}

| rev5 = Mojo

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|title=Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below|magazine=Mojo|page=78|date=October 2023}}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/royal-blood-back-to-the-water-below-album-review-3489084|title=Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below review: an instinctive return to their roots|website=NME|last=Campbell|first=Erica|date=31 August 2023|access-date=3 September 2023}}

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

| rev7score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/album-reviews/royal-blood-back-to-the-water-below-review-perfectly-fine-but-it-wont-rattle-your-bones-32440/|title=Royal Blood, 'Back To The Water Below' review: won't rattle your bones, but it's perfectly fine|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Joe|last=Goggins|date=1 September 2023|access-date=16 October 2023}}

| rev8 = The Telegraph

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/best-albums-of-the-week-royal-blood/|title=Royal Blood battle their demons – the week's best albums|newspaper=The Telegraph|last=McCormick|first=Neil|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=1 September 2023|access-date=3 September 2023}}

}}

Back to the Water Below received a score of 81 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Mojo stated that it has "top-drawer tunes throughout", while Kerrang!{{'}}s Mark Sutherland noted that it "really ought to broaden Royal Blood's appeal still further" with its "tightly-wound riffing and ludicrous lyrics". Erica Campbell of NME described it as "an album that highlights the band's rock and roll instincts, self-knowledge and ability to generate something new with a bass, drums and zero hand holding".

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph summarised that "rock fans should be delighted that Kerr and Thatcher are still in the ring, giving it everything they've got" as "lyricist Kerr sounds like he has been in the wars" and "like a man undergoing changes, using music to understand himself". Finlay Holden of The Line of Best Fit called Back to the Water Below "simultaneously a refinement and expansion of the Royal Blood formula" as well as "a short and snappy experience". DIY{{'}}s Sarah Jamieson felt that the duo "mov[e] away from the more shallow-sounding confines of its predecessor" and "manage to make a return to the towering riffs that populated their early releases, while adding some much-needed dynamism".

{{track listing

| headline = Back to the Water Below track listing

| all_lyrics = Mike Kerr

| all_music = Royal Blood

| title1 = Mountains at Midnight

| length1 = 3:06

| title2 = Shiner in the Dark

| length2 = 3:27

| title3 = Pull Me Through

| length3 = 3:08

| title4 = The Firing Line

| length4 = 3:22

| title5 = Tell Me When It's Too Late

| length5 = 2:44

| title6 = Triggers

| length6 = 2:55

| title7 = How Many More Times

| length7 = 3:11

| title8 = High Waters

| length8 = 2:45

| title9 = There Goes My Cool

| length9 = 2:56

| title10 = Waves

| length10 = 3:48

| total_length = 31:22

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japanese bonus track

| title11 = Honeybrains

| length11 = 3:06

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Deluxe edition bonus 7"

| title1 = Supermodel Avalanches

| length1 = 3:05

| title2 = Everything's Fine

| length2 = 2:48

}}

Royal Blood

• Mike Kerr – vocals, backing vocals, bass, production (all tracks); synthesizer (tracks 2, 5–7), piano (3, 4, 7, 9, 10), keyboards (8), guitar (10)
• Ben Thatcher – drums, percussion, production

Guest musicians

• Tom Hobden – viola, violin (9, 10)
• Ian Burdge – cello (10)

Technical

• Pete Hutchings – engineering
• Liam Hebb – engineering assistance
• Spike Stent – mixing
• Matt Wolach – mixing assistance
• Matt Colton – mastering

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Category:2023 albums

Category:Royal Blood (band) albums

Category:Warner Records albums