After hitting an impressive #16 on the charts with their first album, The Royston Club are hitting the ground running with the announcement that the band will be dropping their new album, Songs For The Spine, on August 8th. In anticipation of the LP, they have dropped a new single called ‘Glued To The Bed’ and also announced their biggest ever UK headline tour, including their largest London show yet at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.
Recent hit singles ‘Shivers’ and ‘The Patch Where Nothing Grows’ have already hinted at The Royston Club’s creative evolution and Songs For The Spine will build on the familiar sonic blueprint of their debut, but it’s bolder, more experimental, and deeply heartfelt, weaving personal narratives with universal truths.
The album was produced by Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Rachel Chinouriri), and he really helped the band tap into that raw, natural energy they bring to their live shows.
Guitarist Ben Matthias sums up their latest long player as follows: All of these songs are about people and places we love. These people and these places are the things that keep you standing through whatever happens. There’s the classic songs about our relationships with our girlfriends, but on the flipside there’s even a song about me going home to Wrexham and feeling guilty because I’d forgot that the speed limits had changed in Wales, which shows how long it had been since I’d last been there!”
Today, Huw Stephens gave ‘Glued To The Bed’ its first play on 6 Music. This track really feels like the perfect bridge, connecting what The Royston Club has done before with where they’re heading. It kicks off with a guitar riff that gets stuck in your head instantly, and that’s driven by strong rhythms with a melody that’s got both a raw edge and a sweet side. Sonically, it perfectly captures the song’s emotional tug-of-war: the thrilling, dark, and often disappointing nature of love, and the persistent compulsion to give it another shot.
Offering insight into the new single, Ben added: With ‘Glued To The Bed’, I wanted to write about the cynicism towards love that heartbreak can bring, the bittersweet memory of a relationship and the raw aftermath of a breakup. It’s about the push and pull between needing to forget and wanting to hold on to what was lost, about how grief can become your entire atmosphere and distort your sense of self.
Looking back, I see a lot of what I wrote as a defense mechanism after being hurt. I dismiss love as this pretentious, performative thing and in the chorus I sound afraid, pleading for the next relationship not to leave me in the same state.”
Pre-Order Your Copy & Get Tour Access!
Songs For The Spine is available for pre-order and pre-save here right now. You can grab the album on standard vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats. For those looking for something special, the band’s official store has an exclusive splatter vinyl, signed prints, and merch bundles. Plus, there’s a Dinked Edition clear vinyl with a gold yolk that boasts an alternate cover, a signed 12″ print, and a numbered sticker. Keep an eye out for a limited-edition green vinyl at select independent stores and HMV too!
And here’s a crucial bit for UK fans: if you pre-order the album from the band’s official store, you’ll get early access to a pre-sale for tour tickets. This pre-sale kicks off at 10 am BST on Tuesday, May 27th, and runs until general sale begins at 10 am on Thursday, May 29th. Don’t miss out!
Even before these big announcements, The Royston Club – completed by Tom Faithfull on vocals and guitar, Dave Tute on bass, and Sam Jones on drums – have been incredibly busy on the live circuit this year. They’ve already delivered a massive headline set at Liverpool Sound City, played a sweaty, instantly sold-out intimate show at London’s Omeara, rocked three packed, low-key homecoming gigs in Wrexham, and even performed as part of Wrexham FC’s celebrations following their promotion to the Championship!
Looking ahead, their upcoming schedule is packed. The band will be hitting major festival stages across both the UK and Europe. They’re also set to play as special guests for some huge names, including The Lathums, Bloc Party, and Travis, all before their eagerly anticipated autumn headline tour kicks off.
MAY
24th – Neighbourhood Weekender
25th – Tunes in the Castle Festival
31st – Vestrock Festival
JUNE
20th – Utrecht, Ekko
21st – PinkPop Festival
JULY
5th – Musiques En Stock Festival
10th – Manchester, Castlefield Bowl (with Bloc Party)
11th – TRNSMT Festival
12th – Leeds, Millennium Square (with The Lathums)
19th – Llandudno, Venue Cymru Arena (with Travis)
25th – Latitude Festival
27th – Tramlines
AUGUST
2nd – Kendal Calling
15th – Hardwick Calling
22nd – Reading Festival
23rd – Leeds Festival
OCTOBER – HEADLINE TOUR
16th – Brighton, Concorde 2
17th – Bristol, Electric
18th – Birmingham, O2 Institute
23rd – Manchester, Academy 1
24th – Newcastle, O2 City Hall
25th – Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom
31st – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
NOVEMBER – HEADLINE TOUR
1st – Sheffield, Octagon
15th – Paris, Supersonic Records
18th – Amsterdam, Paradiso Noord (Tolhuistuin)
19th – Cologne, Blue Shell
20th – Berlin, Maschinenhaus
22nd – Hamburg, Nochtspeicher
The new album features the tracks ‘Shivers’, ‘The Patch Where Nothing Grows’, ‘Crowbar’, ‘Glued To The Bed’, ‘Cariad’, ’30/20′, ‘Spinning’, ‘Through The Cracks’, ‘Curses & Spit’, and ‘The Ballad of Glen Campbell’.
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