Brighton duo Royal Blood released “Pull Me Through,” the second single off their upcoming fourth studio album, Back to the Water Below. Along with the song, the band unveiled a music video directed by filmmaker and photographer Polocho via Say Goodnight Films.
About “Pull Me Through,” lead singer and bassist Mike Kerr stated, “[it] is ultimately about giving up on persevering alone and finding strength in asking for help. It’s a song that is driven by the lyrics and melody, as opposed to the riffs doing the heavy lifting. Despite being piano-led, it feels very much like a missing limb to our artillery and a track we’ve been eager to perform live.”
Back in 2021, with the release of Typhoons, Royal Blood’s third album, Kerr openly shared his struggles with mental health and sobriety. In a recent interview with NME, Mike stated that he “wouldn’t delve too much into lyric meanings on this one – only because I spent so much of the last album dissecting the songs to the point where there was nothing left worth listening to anymore.” Still, “Pull Me Through,” as well as the previous single “Mountains at Midnight”, touch on similar topics: how a “rockstar” lifestyle can lead to destructive behavior and how the right people can lead you out of your own darkness.
Out on September 8, Back to the Water Below is completely self-produced by Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher. This decision came about thanks to fellow musician Jack White. “White once said that it took him 30 years to figure out that the first thing he plays in the studio is the thing. Deep down, I think that’s something I knew, but I really respected it this time […] Sometimes you play something from a really pure place, and you spend months overthinking and wrecking it, or you eventually circle straight back to where you began,” Kerr explained.
With only two tracks out, Back to the Water Below promises to be a great album and follow-up to Typhoons, which was one of Royal Blood’s best projects. You can stream both singles now, and you can watch the music video for “Pull Me Through” below. Happy listening!
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