The scuzzy Death From Above riffs and blistering QOTSA energy are ever-present – as the duo get back to blaring basics.

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Rock music has always had a side-eye and a sneer to those ignorant enough not to indulge in the snarling jaws of the genre. Both Ben Thatcher and Mike Kerr wanted to remind us of that during their appearance at this years’ Big Weekend. The Brighton duo managed to turn up the noses, sneer and flip off the non-plussed pop-adoring crowd, who were eagerly awaiting for Capaldi instead. Remarkably, Kerr stuck to his rock cliche that he abhorrently sworn he had shaken off since his sober days and the backlash was horrendous. Funnily enough, the whole brazen rock ‘n’ roll getup doesn’t work if you’re a bunch of Southerners off the coast of Worthing.

The end-result was the band in hot water themselves, with immediate backtracking, intent to mention that there was no malice at all. While the album was wrapped up in its vinyl sleeves at that point, the moment still hangs in the air like a bad smell. Whether it was a marketing ploy to get people talking again, no one will really know.But when you’re trying to promote an album, there’s no such thing as bad publicity because fans and haters alike will fall upon it.

Sinking to the bottom, lost but not forgotten / Down to go again hard, swinging like a punch bag. Waiting on you-u / To pull me through.”

With that said, While Back To The Water Below is mistakenly heavier that 2021’s dance-craven Typhoons, with Mountains At Midnight providing a lavishing of both drum rumblings and muscular riffage, the album still sits precariously behind their self-titled debut and the sophomore follow-up; with not enough catchy combustion or strengthening originality to make you shiver down your spine.The songs that may bring back that sparkle of their younger days comes in the form of Shiner in the Dark, a unifying agreement that Homme’s stamp of approval is all over this. It’s a much more confident display of the band getting back to blaring basics. Pull Me Through is a good idle piece to rep the album, a once-imposing ballad-turned-catchy free roam of the duo enjoying themselves.

While The Firing Line doesn’t offer much else other than morbid curiosity with a running dilly-dally, Tell Me When It’s Too Late is written for the might of the rock stalwarts they share the space with. There is pongy whiffs of Jack White in there and Death From Above certainly bubbling on the surface with a fire-riff that can stand all on its own. The screeching electric guitar is of Scorched Earth material and is the bands’ callback to their past times of 2017’s How Did We Get So Dark? Of course, Mike’s piano twinkles become a stark interest splurged in-between with There Goes My Cooool, a comedown canzone until Waves has us in a riptide of contorted emotions. “Where would I go? / What would I take? / If you ever find me / Fight away / Don’t let me choke / I got nothing to save / If you ever lose me, Down under the waves.”

But I can’t help but thinking – nothing here is a distinct smack to the face.

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There’s no denying that it’s a venture away from their big and beefy sounds. A record that barely stays above the surface, it’s not one I’ll be returning to.

Check out our review of Royal Blood’s third ventures – Typhoons.

Or take a trip down to the bands’ evolution from their self-titled to now.