Limbo

Album: Typhoons (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Following the success of Royal Blood's 2014 eponymous debut album, frontman Mike Kerr hit the self-destruction button. His increasing reliance on drink and drugs sent him into a spiral of self-hatred, depression and paranoia. Though the singer has been sober since 2019, Typhoons is set in those dark days.

    This dramatic song finds Kerr sick, tired and bored with his behavior. He feels stuck in "limbo," helpless to the violent storms of self-destruction and addiction.
  • Now I've become someone
    I don't recognize
    I despise
    Numb and defeated
    Part paralyzed


    During an interview with The Independent, Kerr was asked who he had become.

    "Just not myself," he replied. "Things I would say, places I'd be, people I'd hang out with, just everything. Waking up in the morning and being ashamed of all the things I said, and not recognizing that person, but by the time the day rolled around I was that person again, living in this weird state of the two."
  • Royal Blood debuted the song live on March 27, 2021 during a virtual performance they played on the Roblox gaming platform.
  • Joao Retorta directed the video, which follows two motorcycle gangs roaming empty streets at night before deciding to hold a dance battle.

    Originally from Lisbon, Portugal, João Retorta moved to London in 2011. His other credits include Loski x Stormzy's "Flavour" and Loyle Carner's "Sun Of Jean."
  • Royal Blood recorded an orchestral version for Amazon Originals. They laid down the rendition with a 16-piece string accompaniment at Abbey Road Studios.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Chris Rea

Chris ReaSongwriter Interviews

It took him seven years to recover from his American hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," but Chris Rea became one of the top singer-songwriters in his native UK.