Photo by Max Hubers
“What doesn’t kill us takes a long time to make us stronger,” read the opening line of Royal Chant‘s press release, a line that reflects the long hard road the band has trodden to get to where they are.
A labour of Love for the band, Raise Your Glass & Collapse is the culmination of years of hard work, hard touring and hard living. A collection of songs that shift from the beautiful to the barbaric, the chaotic to the contained, the album presents itself with subtle simplicity, with the songs all based in skillful and intelligent songwriting. To quote the press release again the songs “are an invitation to be vulnerable; to share love, doubt, anger, loss, resignation, being human, and being less-than human – as complicated or straightforward as you want them to be.”
The first track to be taken from the album is Ghosts, a song that stems straight from the band’s indie rock roots, with band leader and singer Mark Spence’s raspy vocals driving the song forward, the result an incisive and keen track that doesn’t mess around. The video for the song, shot independently by the band at The Vanguard in Newtown, highlights the band’s ability to a lot with a little, as well as reflecting their drive to offer only material of substance and style, and will be available to watch in early February.
Having played a series of shows up and down the east coast, including a support slot with You Am I, Royal Chant are heading back out on the road in February for dates in Sydney, Melbourne and Port Macquarie including a three week residency at The Oxford Art Factory.
Raise Your Glass & Collapse is out mid 2011, but you can listen to Ghosts here.
Royal Chant
Melbourne
Friday Feb 11
Pony (2am slot)
FREE ENTRY
Sydney
Satruday Feb 12
Oxford Arts Factory
FREE ENTRY
Sydney
Saturday Feb 1
Oxford Arts Factory
FREE ENTRY
Port Macquarie
Wednesday Feb 23
Yada Yada @ Pier 1, Port Panthers
FREE ENTRY
Sydney
Sat Feb 26
Oxford Arts Factory
FREE ENTRY
