Last month, UK pop-punk band Royals returned in style with the release of two new singles. One of these was “Spinning Out,” a high-energy track that featured vocals from Royals bassist Tom Guildford. The other was “Killer,” a smooth and crafty song that leaves you wanting more. Both make bold statements on Royals as a band, as they focus on the aspects of their sound and overall drive that make them great. For their next single, Royals continue to play to their strengths while teaming up with WSTR’s Sammy Clifford in the process.
Written by Tom about what it would be like to hopelessly chase after his now-wife, “Good For Me” plays out like an ode to someone out of your league. It fully leans into Royals’ classic pop-punk style, embracing the band’s relentless attitude and spirit. Additionally, Sammy Clifford’s vocals perfectly mix with those of lead vocalist Luke Smithson, and the two trade lyrics about a girl with impeccable emo style and good taste in coffee. They also acknowledge other bands in the scene like Green Day and The Offspring and reference four treasured songs in total—from The Offspring’s “Want You Bad” to Simple Plan’s “I’d Do Anything.” It is the ultimate pop-punk song, a guaranteed anthem for anyone who is crushing hard on someone so cool, it’s embarrassing.
About the single, Tom shares,
“This track had a bit of a different approach. It all started because I had this line about The Offspring and iced coffee! We’ve written love songs before, but this time I had this idea where rather than being all soppy and talking about a relationship, taking those feelings and putting a ‘What if?’ perspective over the top, where I’m seeing this person and wanting to win her over. What if I was on the outside, seeing her around, knowing about all the things she loves—her music taste, her favorite season, her coffee order—and wanting so badly to be part of her world.
“Ultimately, it’s about falling for someone for all of the reasons that make them who they are but also feeling like they’re out of your league! It’s got this really interesting blend of real depth and storytelling while also being quite a simple and relatable concept. I took it to the guys and they were on board, so it was exciting to bring it to life!”
As for working with Sammy Clifford, Luke explains,
“WSTR are one of our favorite bands. We’ve been listening to them for years, I did a cover of ‘Filthy’ on my YouTube channel… We were lucky enough to have played a couple shows with them, and as we recorded this track, we couldn’t stop saying, ‘This really sounds like something Sammy would smash.’ Thankfully, he was up for it. And he killed it!”
You can listen to “Good For Me” here.
Catch Royals on tour in July here.
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