CROOKED ROYALS DEBUT ALBUM, QUARTER LIFE DAYDREAM, OUT NOW
VIA 3DOT RECORDINGS
LISTEN HERE
“The band notably features two vocalists… who trade off to create a push-and-pull effect. It works splendidly… evoking hints of Linkin Park, albeit with a more metalcore edge.”
– Consequence
“…commands listeners attention with an undeniably ferocious energy.”
– Heavy Mag
“Quarter Life Daydream is an impressive effort from a band with ambition, and passion pours from all aspects of its sound.” – Boolin Tunes
“A debut to remember… 9/10” – GBHBL
Auckland, New Zealand – Crooked Royals, the New Zealand-based band who’s pandemic era single “Copacetic,” brought the five-piece outfit to international attention, have released their debut album, Quarter Life Daydream via 3DOT Recordings (listen here).
“A lot of us are in our twenties,” explains clean vocalist Christian Cartensen of the inspiration for the album title. “In a quarter life crisis, you’re stuck in that beginner job straight out of university. It’s about the trials and tribulations we’ve gone through writing during the Pandemic and doing those jobs. It’s about balancing the stress we all go through in our twenties. These are referred to as the wasted years where you experiment and see what’s good and what sticks. It’s the main theme of the album.”
Lee Mackley, the band’s heavy vocalist, discusses the band’s approach to the music on the eight-song collection: “We find accessibility between extremes. The vibe can be prog-y and more technical with time changes. Or, it can be a little bit catchier. However, we slap everything on top of the metalcore sound—from rapping to screaming—with big choruses. The idea is to combine those spazzy guitars with melodies and give you the whole package.”
In the lead up to today’s release of Quarter Life Daydream, the band released a trio of videos: the performance driven clip for “Glass Hands” (https://youtu.be/bdoQ6_KRsP4), the narrative video for “Ill Manor” (https://youtu.be/dWGlSbxm1RI ), and a nod to mental health with the footage for “Counterfeit” (https://youtu.be/VNVL-tgVYdk).
Crooked Royals is Christian Carstensen (clean vocals), Lee Mackley (heavy vocals), Jake Andrews (guitar), Keane Gilles (drums), and Conor Lawson (bass).
