Attention to Artists: August Royals
While most of the smaller artists I’ve discovered have been through collaborations or social media, I never thought my work at the Reporter would lead me to discover one of my favorite up-and-coming artists. Back in 2021, I wrote an article about songs I’d put on the perfect fall playlist. I was coming up short with fall-sounding songs from my playlist and listened to Apple Music’s Fall Playlist.
One of the first few songs that came up on shuffle was a song called “Blue Football” by August Royals. Thinking it was a song about football or maybe seasonal depression, I was instantly hooked by the echoing guitar strings that opened the song. The song scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. It was the perfect combination of laid back R&B and alternative. I decided to see what other works he’d put out and quickly became a fan.
Having grown up playing ukulele in Georgia, Royals attended college at Belmont University in Tennessee where he majored in music business. After moving to LA, he reconnected with Brockhampton band member Kevin Abstract, whom he’d met a year prior. After Brockhampton blew up, Royals posted small clips on social media and SoundCloud, where one of them went viral in 2019. Royal wrote songs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping his debut EP “Inhaler” in March 2022.
Like any other artist, Royals covers topics such as heartbreak, mental health and the emotions that come with all of it. However, he doesn’t fall into one specific genre. Royals has told other news outlets his music rangings from alt-pop, touches of ’80s rock, R&B and alt-rock. While his talent comes out through his lyricism, Royals has perfected balance when it comes to how he crafts his songs: if the beat is strong, he’ll ease back with softer vocals. If the beat is soft, the lyrics pack a punch.
On “Inhaler,” Royal’s emotions are displayed throughout the course of nine songs. “Overdose” is an alt-rock tune describing how drug use is impacting his life and how he realizes he needs help. “Surrender” takes the alt-pop with fun synths and an electric guitar solo before drums and distant vocals take over the last third of the song, a musical surrender complimenting the lyrics of falling into a toxic relationship.
Not all of Royals’ songs are dark and heavy. “Kiss My Scars” is an alternative R&B ballad about wondering why his partner would be with him, healing parts of him he didn’t know he needed to be healed. The closing track “Oxygen” has a muted beat, with breathless pants as the rhythm to describe the enthralling feeling of falling in love and the need to be around his partner.
While Royals hasn’t released an EP since 2022, he has dropped a number of singles since then, experimenting with his music even more. “Angel Arms” is a light-hearted love song about falling down into “angel arms I never had to doubt.” Its sweet rhythm with little synth pops are glittery and add to the emotion woven through the song, making it impossible to frown listening to this track. “Love You ’Til I Die” could have easily been added as a bonus track to “Inhaler” with its mix of R&B and alt-pop. Not just matching “Inhaler” with the music, but also with the lyrics, telling of trying to balance being in a perfect relationship and relapsing with drug addiction.
Royals ventures into new territory he hasn’t previously gone with his single “Every Time I Go.” Sounding like ’80s rock at its finest, Royal’s most upbeat track talks about staying with a lover, no matter the distance between them. His most recent single “Drown” goes back to his darker roots as hard-hitting bass and drums are coupled with lyrics that describe his previous addictions once again as he “drowns” in them.
Since “Drown” dropped in September in 2023, Royals hasn’t released new music, teasing clips of his projects on Instagram and even a brief 24-hour EP on his SoundCloud last December. While I hold onto the little clips he has teased, I can see a promising future for Royals. He’s not afraid to talk about subjects other artists might skirt around and his bending of genres makes him one artist everyone should be on the lookout for.
Write to Emma Johnson at emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu