The Bastards (album)

The Bastards was recorded in several different locations, including studios in London, England and Joshua Tree, California. Five songs were released as singles with videos before the album was completed: "Lonely", "Hang on to Yourself", "Fucking with My Head", and "Nervous Breakdown". The Bastards is a concept album about a formerly expressive society that has been subdued by toxic politics. The songs are divided into four acts describing different eras in the hypothetical society's history. Lyrical topics include mental health, drug addiction, and gun violence. The album's lyrics are more socially-oriented than on the band's previous albums, and proceeds from the single "Massacre, The New American Dream" were donated to gun violence advocacy charities. The album is connected to a graphic novel called The Bastards Vol. 1, which was released in December 2020, with art by drummer Emerson Barrett. Videos from the album were based on imagery from a previous graphic novel by Barrett called Neutopian. == Critical reception ==

The Bastards has received generally positive reviews from the rock press. According to Kerrang!, the album shows that Palaye Royale "have successfully carved out their own niche of glitzy yet gritty rock'n'roll that dares you to deny them," but also noted that some songs with string sections and other enhancements sound "overwrought". New Noise describes the album as "Heavy, yes, but also tender, expressive, painful, and lovely all rolled into a bombastic presentation of emotion and musical perfection." Distorted Sound described the album favorably as "a modern twist of indie-pop/pop-rock that for the first time unearths the band's bold political takes with intrinsically punk values weaved throughout." == Track listing ==

Note: "Lord of Lies" is a bonus track on some editions of the album. == Personnel ==

• Remington Leith – lead vocals • Sebastian Danzig – guitar, keyboards • Emerson Barrett – drums, piano ==Charts==