How Did We Get So Dark?
How Did We Get So Dark? is at its best when Royal Blood make their groove more flexible. The bass-and-drum attack remains the foundation, but harmonies, keyboards and changes in rhythmic feel give the songs a broader surface. Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher do not need to make every passage heavier. The stronger moments come from choosing where the weight should land.
The title track and “Lights Out” provide a very effective opening pair. Both have strong riffs and clear hooks, while the latter uses its quieter sections to make the returning force feel larger. Thatcher's cymbal crashes help mark those changes without turning the song into a simple exercise in volume. “She's Creeping” then slows the movement and finds a more slippery funk feel. That shift gives the record a useful third dimension.
The middle stretch is less consistent. “I Only Lie When I Love You” has an immediate, direct melody, but the bass following the voice so closely reduces some of the musical tension. “Hook, Line & Sinker” has a similar limitation. The most exciting parts of Royal Blood often come from hearing the instruments challenge the vocal, and those songs have fewer such exchanges. “Don't Tell” creates expectation effectively, though the return to a familiar section can feel less satisfying than the buildup promises.
The extra studio detail nevertheless gives the album more options, and the closing “Sleep” leaves a suitably uneasy impression. Its repetition has a clearer atmospheric purpose than some of the less distinctive passages. How Did We Get So Dark? is a capable second album whose best songs make a recognizable formula more agile. The problem is less the limited number of instruments than the occasions when the writing settles too quickly into an obvious shape. “Lights Out” and “She's Creeping” demonstrate how much life the duo can find by making the arrangement slightly less predictable.
