Everyone Around Me Seems So Serene

Royal Trux “The Banana Question”

Even without Jennifer Herrema growling “Is that a fucking question???,” “The Banana Question” would still seem like a rude song, a piece of music that seems to lunge out at the listener to invade their personal space. It’s gleefully manic, bouncing and spinning around without any sort of focus. It’s a perfect blend of whimsical and belligerent, like punk rock designed to emulate the mood of an overstimulated and cranky little kid.

Royal Trux “Blind Navigator”

I love the way this song balances this fairly loose groove with Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema’s desperate yowls and howls. They’re not quite hysterical — it’s more like they’re just super-charged with passion. Nevermind the blues riffing and the bizarre psychedelic flute-like synthesizers, this is Royal Trux’s version of gospel, with the two clinging to some agnostic, strung-out version of faith. Their vocals tangle up, veering in different directions at some points and colliding in others. They’re both lost, but it’s like they’re trying to find their way back to each other in a game of musical Marco Polo.