Royal Blunder Drops Debut Album ‘Only More is Enough’ on April 25th

Royal Blunder is a four-member Seattle band that taps into the true origins of the “Seattle sound” (tasty power pop, smart garage bomp) but also strives to reckon that energy into timeless rock n’ roll.

Made up of previous bands such as The Leroys, Daffodil Daydream, Ozen Band, Echo Tonic, Crystal City Rockers, The Macs Band, and others, their band name comes from the enjoyment the band has for the paradox of something that is both majestic and a major snafu.

Singer and guitarist Robert Cochran states:

“My primary gift in songwriting is recognizing when I make a good mistake.”

Only More is Enough is the title of their debut, and its songs are based on Rob’s first love:

“The addictive nature of which from around the time I met the woman who would become my wife. The record reflects the fleeting nature of life and eternal nature of love.”

Rob is backed by Bruce Watermann on bass, Danny Wood on lead guitar, and Neal Erickson on drums.

There is also “guitar spice” added by EP engineer David Zaffiro (solo artist, Julie Miller) on three of the tracks, and Rob’s son Cullen Cochran plays organ and adds vocals to “Sherlock Holmes.”

Rob produced the EP, with drums recorded by Tom Hall at Studio Litho in Seattle’s longtime creative Fremont district, then overlaid by tracks recorded in LaConner and Seattle, and then finalized in Nashville by David.

The kinetically captivating and wondrously melodious songs on Only More is Enough were mostly written by Rob but as noted it’s “a bit of a family affair.”

He ripped off the killer chord progression featured in the title track from his son Devin (with permission, of course). “Sherlock Holmes” was written by other son Cullen during that lad’s visit to England a few years back.

Bruce adds about their sound:

“We ‘Blunderize’ songs Rob has written, and that comes out strong in our live performances. The recordings are more finely crafted vignettes … we lean in on the best of both options.”

Their recorded music would fit perfectly in a playlist of other playful pop saboteurs like The Kinks, Elvis Costello, The Lemon Twigs, and The Pop Cycle. The band shares an affinity for the philosophy of G.K. Chesterton, whose paradoxes and assertions challenge the world to love.

Rob enjoyed the role of production “having free reign with how the recordings sound. I get feedback from the group and try to strike a happy place,” he says. The collaboration in the studio is full of love and longtime brotherhood.

“Our engineer David and I go way back. My mom was his third-grade teacher!”

This deep warm heart of Royal Blunder is purposefully meant to successfully cross many cultural and musical boundaries.

Bruce says:

“We’ve been on bills from punk to alt-country, which says a lot about the accessibility of our tunes. I do think our music can offer a break from daily life for just a bit, and our themes are universal.

Royal Blunder ‘Only More is Enough’ album artwork

For key tracks, Rob believes the song “The Clock” has taken inspiration from artists from the 1960s in its melodic vocals, adding interesting chord structures, and integrating elements from all members of the group.

He says:

“The song has an eternal aspect in its being. And we think it will still sound good 50 years from now.”

Bruce confesses love for “a good song that comes under three minutes,” so he recommends the title track.

As for plans for their sizzling live shows, “We are currently on a world tour of Ballard in Seattle,” Neal says, laughing. After that, extraterrestrial areas are definitely on Royal Blunder’s playing-out agenda.