Nashville-based punk rock duo Blacklist Royals have officially released a brand new cover of The Cure’s classic hit “Pictures of You” via Young Hollywood. This is the second cover in a series of three to be released as an EP titled Dead Time Vol. 1: Songs of The Cure, which will be available as a free download in the coming weeks. Check out the video for the band’s first Cure cover, “Plainsong,” below.
“‘Pictures of You’ has always been one of my favorite songs by The Cure, and just seemed like it would be kind of a challenge to cover,” Nat explains in a recent interview with Young Hollywood. “Our version of it was a little more laid back than the other two songs we chose, so we thought including it would make for a really well-rounded EP.”
It is clear that Nat and Rob Rufus share a thematic mindset. The twin brothers, who have played together in bands since they were 13 years old, both found themselves circling around the same experience, compelled to finally excise their demons in song. The experience was this: When Rob was 17 he was diagnosed with a rare form a cancer. He spent nearly three years in the hospital, rotated in and out of surgeries and treatments. One of his lungs was removed and numerous side effects lingered. Once Rob was well, supported the whole time by Nat, the brothers moved from West Virginia to Nashville to begin Blacklist Royals. The group, bolstered by new members, released their debut album, Semper Liberi , in 2010 and toured for three years extensively, playing with bands like Less Than Jake and NOFX and performing at Warped Tour, The Fest, and SXSW. In addition, the band has also played some of the biggest festivals in Europe, including Reading & Leeds, Highfield, and Frequency.
As the musicians came off the road and began writing, they found themselves centered on the theme of childhood sickness. As the narrative themes shifted, so did the songs themselves, and the band took an evolutionary leap forward – one that simultaneously restructured its lineup. Blacklist Royals, again, became two brothers struggling to prevail through less-than-ideal circumstances. Nat & Rob emerged victoriously, as did the songs from the record; the title track was featured on Showtime’s Shameless and “She’s The One” was featured on ABC’s Forever , where the band themselves also made a guest appearance.
“The songs for Die Young With Me were written about a struggle I went through, and it was a whole other struggle to even make the record happen,” Rob says. “We went through so much and went broke and it seemed bleak, but we kept pushing through. It was the two of us with these songs so once we finished it was a real relief. We felt like we had summed up a chapter in our lives and now we can move on to the next one.”
Dead Time Volume One: Songs of The Cure – coming soon
1. Plainsong
2. A Forest
3. Pictures of You
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Sep 10 Brauerhouse Lombard, IL
Sep 11 Dark Horse Brewing Co. Marshall, MI
Sep 13 Abilene Bar & Lounge Rochester, NY
Sep 15 The Anchor Kingston, NY
Sep 16 Firehouse 13 Providence, RI
Sep 17 Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY
Sep 18 Amityville Music Hall New York, NY
Sep 19 Bull Shooters Saloon Philadelphia, PA
Sep 20 Wonderland Richmond, VA
Sep 22 Raw Ink Tattoo LIVE Gaithersburg, MD
Sep 23 Smiling Moose Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 24 Blind Bobs Dayton, OH
Oct 25 The Firehouse Birmingham, AL
Oct 27 Will’s Pub Orlando, FL
Oct 30 The Fest 14 Gainesville, FL
Nov 01 The Fest 14 Gainesville, FL
