I’ve felt a bit unsure about some of the recent Reytons’ releases, but this new album really hits the mark.
I think it’s fair to say The Reytons’ entered a bit of an experimental era over the past couple of years and the constant style changes did make it harder for me to connect with their music in the same way, but Roll The Dice feels like the reward for this wait.
Keeping the high-octane indie and phenomenal storytelling that is key to Jonny Yerell’s lyrics Roll The Dice also brings in some of those rap and dance elements they’ve been dabbling with recently. Rather than purely guitar driven indie they’ve side stepped into a more nuanced, layered delivery and the result is an album pulsing with energy that really doesn’t have a dull moment.
It does tend towards a quieter, introspective sound towards the end and I think this is where this new combination of styles is most clearly shown off. Take penultimate track Kyle as an example. The song speaks of seeing an old school mate who isn’t doing so well and the internal monologue that goes along with it. It’s definitely one of the softer sounding songs on the album but the way they take the simplistic chorus and give it this dance-floor-anthem treatment means it turns a track that could fade into the background into an absolute standout.
I think the best way to summarise this is that they’ve learnt to build energy out of quiet. In the pacing and the layering rather than just through their drums and guitars. Another great example is album opener, Guerrilla, where instead of going for your typical big guitar solo, the instrumental section is the most stripped back part of the record and it does give pause for thought before the lyrics kick back in. It feels like you’re being taken on more of a musical journey within each song.
Harking back to the storytelling for a second, Jonnys’ witty lyricism has always been something I’ve loved about The Reytons and it’s great to see that they’ve managed to retain this even though they’re taking some steps away from their more traditional indie sound, particularly with the inclusion of more spoken word lyrics. The aforementioned Kyle builds a richly layered picture of Northern English masculinity. The self-preservation of wanting to pretend you’re ok on one side, and the difficulty as a friend or acquaintance on the other, unsure of whether to reach out, struggling to find the words to do this, and the associated feelings of guilt.
Friday Knight is another lyrically fantastic track. Looking at issues of loneliness, the pull of social media and choosing the wrong person, it’s probably got to be up there with my favourite Reyton’s tunes.
One final thought. Reytons truly shine as a live band (if you haven’t seen them I’d highly recommend it) and I found myself thinking how these tracks would land live, and all I can see is the crowd going crazy. I can’t wait to be screaming Luke De Loop from the middle of a mosh pit. This one I can see going off in the same way Retro or Back Burner does. I feel like Roll The Dice is going to make their set fresh, yet keep it cohesive with their deep cuts and back catalogue.