Royal & the Serpent
Rat Trap V

The Rat Trap series has been, frankly, awesome. This fifth instalment from Royal & the Serpent continues the trend with ‘American Spirit’ and ‘DOG’.

…and the two songs provide a nice contrast. ‘American Spirit’ fizzes out an anthem about kissing someone addictive. The song builds up from palm-muted guitars through a stripped-back verse and chorus into a full bouncing and shimmering summer slammer.

Meanwhile, ‘DOG’ has a more sultry and growling presentation and talks about kissing strangers and being yourself. The sound is rich and thick with fuzzy guitars, pumped along by a heavy bass drum and skims across long ‘ahs’ in the chorus.

The main reason I make music is that it’s the best therapy I could ever ask for: the process of taking everything in my brain and putting it on paper and then singing it out loud for people is so helpful and healing for me. The idea that my own expression can affect people in positive ways is such a blessing and a gift; I don’t ever take it lightly. I just want to keep telling my truth and reach as many people as I possibly can, and see where this little journey takes us.

There’s no doubt about it, these are going straight on the playlist and while it’s more challenging to do with streaming services than vinyl, we fully intend to wear right through them with overplay.

For UK fans, Royal & the Serpent are slated to play Download Festival at Donington Park next week, so if you’re heading over there check out RATS.

American Spirit Video

Watch Royal & the Serpent – ‘American Spirit’.

American Spirit Lyrics

Fireworks, Yellowstone, the Pacific Northwest
Boys with blue eyes and tattoos on their chests
Apple pie, Bon Iver, drugstore cologne
Pretty baristas, and late student loans
Nuclear families and white picket fences
I’m leaning on you but I crave independence

The voice in my head is so loud
You can hear it screaming, ‘Let’s get out’
‘Cause I’m disappearing
You call it love, I’m still trying to feel it
But I can’t give you up yet
‘Cause your kisses taste like American Spirit
American Spirit, American Spirit, American Spirit

Soft Southern accents and Hollywood charm
Throwing bonfire parties on Christmas tree farms
Wisconsin, Beyoncé, carnival rides
A hallmark card and a burger with fries
Divorcing parents and homecoming dances
I’m leaning on you but I crave independence

The voice in my head is so loud
You can hear it screaming, ‘Let’s get out’
‘Cause I’m disappearing
You call it love, I’m still trying to feel it
But I can’t give you up yet
‘Cause your kisses taste like American Spirit
American Spirit, American Spirit, American Spirit

You call it love
I’m still trying to feel it
I can’t give you up
American Spirit

The voice in my head is so loud
You can hear it screaming, ‘Let’s get out’
‘Cause I’m disappearing
You call it love, I’m still trying to feel it
But I can’t give you up yet
‘Cause your kisses taste like American Spirit
American Spirit, American Spirit, American Spirit

Written by Fenton on 8th June 2024

Steve Fenton writes in our music, words, and culture categories. He was Editor in Chief for The Mag and covered live music for DV8 Magazine and Spill Magazine. He was often found in venues throughout the UK alongside ace-photographer, Mark Holloway. Steve is also a technical writer and programmer and writes gothic fiction. Steve studied Psychology at OSC, and Anarchy in the UK: A History of Punk from 1976-1978 at the University of Reading.

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