Let’s talk about Anthony Raneri. The frontman for New York punk band Bayside, at this stage, Raneri is a veteran of the musical world. Dominating with an edgy sound since 2000, he has plenty of experience creating a sound that excites and engulfs. Who can forget the tension in the 2005 “Devotion and Desire” music video? After releasing There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive in April with Bayside, Raneri has decided to start a new chapter in his career. That is another solo EP called Everyday Royalty which releases on November 15th through Equal Vision Records.
After two other EPs (2012’s New Cathedrals and 2015’s Sorry State of Mind), Raneri has once again teamed up with friends and other songwriters to help create the lyrics for these songs. Using the minds of Sam Tinnesz (Dashboard Confessional, Royal & the Serpent) and Joey Hyde (Jake Owen, Ryan Hurd) he has created something that is sonically hypnotic and personally embraces the emotions of a singer-songwriter veteran.
As a solo release, meaning he sang and produced the album individually, Raneri had complete creative control of Everyday Royalty. He used it to build something relaxing and deliberately depressing. Through his imagistic storytelling and the bumbling guitar, he has built songs down on their luck. Not exactly pleading to be heard, but not shouting in pride either.
The biggest throughline for this release is Raneri’s commitment to exploration. Feeling like there are no rules, Everyday Royalty is a release of emotions and creativity that flows from subject to subject quickly without emphasizing cohesion. It is an EP of new ideas more than a polished creation of absolute music. From the Indie Rock sounds of “Over Time” to the gritty Country feel of “Bones” and “High Road,” something is entrancing about the morphing sound that reveals a deeper state of mind for the singer.
What is most interesting about Everyday Royalty is the persistence of the acoustic guitar. As a Punk Rock band, Bayside was electrifying the crowds with their guitar chords and scream-along songs. This is stripped down and converted in Everyday Royalty to music that makes the listener happy. There is no focus on release or intensity, instead, Raneri channels his ideas into creating meaningful music that explores emotions instead of trying to define them.
With such a distinct voice, Everyday Royalty sounds theatrical at times. Annunciating every syllable in vocals that teeter from singing to speaking causes this effect. The EP could pass as a tracklist for an indie play on a man going through a breakup while letting fate move him throughout the country. The background music is subtle, never taking control of the songs. While this allows Raneri’s voice to shine and lead, it also seems to separate him from the music. He is not an instrument in the ensemble but a voice singing above it all, a main character dancing over the ensemble of other noises. Raneri uses place and transportation to guide the themes, pushing the idea of movement as solace from the past. With this in mind, there is a sense of happiness in “Boston” as he sings, “It’s the first day of forever/ and I’ve got two hours to think.” Tying back to his search for creativity and exploration, these songs are metaphors for themselves. In the end, Raneri is searching for answers and finding them in the search itself.
Overall, Everyday Royalty is an interesting new release. Something that changes the narrative with warming stories and acoustic backbone, it is a welcomed step into the Folk Rock scene for Anthony Raneri. For this reason, Cryptic Rock gives Everyday Royalty 4 out of 5 stars.
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