Royal Blood Back To The Water Below
Released Sep 1, 2023 Warner Records
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 5, 2026
Mostly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Royal Blood's Back To The Water Below arrives with blunt-force hooks and a sharper sense of purpose, a record critics call a confident return to riff-driven rock that marries swagger with occasional introspection.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Shiner In The Dark
2 critic mentions
“Best of all though is 'Shiner In The Dark', a glorious stomper” — Hot Press
There Goes My Cool
2 critic mentions
“The T-Rex -style 'There Goes My Cool' is a close second, boasting a beautiful, soaring solo” — Hot Press
Tell Me When It’s Too Late
1 critic mention
“a formidable post-chorus breakdown that matches the heights of any past single” — The Line of Best Fit
Full critic consensus
Royal Blood's Back To The Water Below arrives with blunt-force hooks and a sharper sense of purpose, a record critics call a confident return to riff-driven rock that marries swagger with occasional introspection. Across three professional reviews the album earned a 73.33/100 consensus score, with commentators repeatedly pointing to songs that supply both muscle and nuance.
Reviewers consistently praise standout tracks as the album's trade-mark moments: “Shiner In The Dark” emerges as the bruising highlight, its Queens of the Stone Age and Black Sabbath-tinged stomp singled out by multiple critics, while “The Firing Line” is celebrated for its piano-centered chorus and Beatles/Ziggy-tinged melodic lift. Other repeatedly mentioned cuts include “There Goes My Cool”, “High Waters” and “Tell Me When It’s Too Late”, each noted for contributing swagger, live-stage momentum and occasional funk-inflected variety.
Critical consensus frames Back To The Water Below as a course correction rather than a reinvention: reviewers agree the duo returns to the guitar riffs and rock authenticity that defined their earlier work, even as themes of sobriety, regret and self-reflection lend the record emotional weight. Some critics flag that the band favors refinement over radical change, but overall professional reviews find the collection successful where the best songs supply heft and dynamism.
For readers seeking a concise verdict on whether Back To The Water Below is worth hearing, the critical consensus suggests its standout tracks and renewed riff-focused energy make it a worthwhile entry in Royal Blood's catalog and a solid addition to contemporary rock playlists.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Mountains At Midnight
Shiner In The Dark
Pull Me Through
The Firing Line
Tell Me When It’s Too Late
Triggers
How Many More Times
High Waters
There Goes My Cool
Waves
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The record feels like a course correction, a return to what made Royal Blood exciting, and on Back To The Water Below the best tracks - notably “Shiner In The Dark” and “The Firing Line” - supply the heft the duo had been missing. The reviewer hears the fuzzy swagger of “Shiner In The Dark” as Queens of the Stone Age-tinged funk, and the piano at the heart of “The Firing Line” evokes ’70s rock and roll nostalgia, both giving the album much-needed dynamism. It is not entirely reinventing the wheel, but these songs make the album a more successful broadening of their horizons.
Key Points
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The best song is “Shiner In The Dark” for its fuzzy swagger and Queens of the Stone Age-tinged funk.
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The album’s core strength is a return to towering riffs and added dynamism that broadens the duo’s horizons.
Themes
Ho
Critic's Take
Royal Blood sound emboldened on Back To The Water Below, and the reviewer's voice makes clear which are the best songs on Back To The Water Below. The glorious stomper “Shiner In The Dark” is hailed as best, a Black Sabbath-meets-The Sweet bruiser that stomps and gleams. Close behind, “There Goes My Cool” is praised for its T-Rex flavour and a soaring solo that lifts the record. The Beatles-and-Ziggy-spiced “The Firing Line” and the funky “High Waters” show the band stretching out with confidence and swagger.
Key Points
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Shiner In The Dark is the album's standout for its glorious, stomping blend of heavy and sweet influences.
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The album's strengths are self-produced confidence, swagger, and successful stylistic stretching toward classic rock touchstones.
Themes
Critic's Take
Royal Blood continue to mine personal turmoil on Back To The Water Below, and the best songs on Back To The Water Below - notably “The Firing Line” and “Tell Me When It’s Too Late” - showcase that shift toward vulnerability with muscular craft. Finlay Holden writes with a measured eye for detail, noting how “The Firing Line” pares back to a piano-driven chorus while “Tell Me When It’s Too Late” explodes into a post-chorus breakdown that matches past highs. The record balances moshpit-fuelling intensity in “Mountains At Midnight” and “High Waters” with cerebral choices later in the running order, making these tracks the standout moments that best capture the album’s strengths.
Key Points
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The Firing Line is best for revealing the album’s new vulnerable dimension via a piano-driven chorus.
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The album’s core strengths are its balance of moshpit-ready intensity and carefully crafted, reflective songwriting.