The dreamy rolling grooves and spiraling emotionalism of "Royal" by Babe Lewis, the solo recording project of Harrisonburg -Virginia based songwriter Joseph Harder, and performing band with Dane Ludwig (drums), and Valentin Prince (bass, vocals), encompasses abstractions and guitar heaviness that feels seeded from the 2000's, that fertile post grunge period when genres happily collided. For me, the sound feels part slacker garage rock, part neo-psychedelic distilled though indie pop filters. I am appreciating the chorus feeling shoegaze-esque but the verses feeling less so, riding on primarily the bass line and opened up vocals where you can actually make out the lyrics without the lyrics in front of you, a luxury I sometimes miss these days. This gritty blend feels lush and emo while kind of industrial at the same time, an ethereal flesh with callouses.
Liner Notes offer: [Inspired by the guitar stylings of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Helvetia, the hypnotic lo-fi pulse of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and the mystic harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Babe Lewis inhabits a niche at the overlap of myriad eras and modes of psychedelic music]. From: https://www.americanpancake.com/2025/05/babe-lewis-and-dreamy-rolling-grooves.html
