Royal Blush - "Cherry Cola"

Over the last five years, New Jersey songwriter Andrew Merclean has tried in earnest to get a band off the ground. He’s finally achieved liftoff with Royal Blush, a project that features several talented Hudson County musicians, including the transcendent vocal stylings of Allison Heckart. Late last year, the quintet shared their first-ever single, the idyllic, yet booming-sounding “Roll The Dice,” a song that immediately made them a band to watch in the greater New York area music scene. Last week, they released its follow up, the sweet and scintillating “Cherry Cola,” a Bonnie & Clyde-inspired epic that’s a musical spectacle in and of itself.

Like its predecessor, “Cherry Cola” begins somewhat cryptically with a swirl of distant vocals and faint guitars that gradually grow in intensity. After the jumping off point, there’s even more build up. These softer verses allow Heckert to assume control - and the song’s adventurous lyrics, which describe the adrenaline right of hightailing it out of town, go down smoothly: “I drink it down just like Cherry Cola, the way we always leave. Shot out of town in a hot Toyota, the sugar rush is everything.” Royal Blush seems to be settling into a signature sound and it’s characterized by drama. The chorus on “Cherry Cola,” like “Roll The Dice,” reaches soaring heights. It’s propelled there by Heckert’s dynamite voice, a locked-in rhythm section, and the guitar playing chemistry of Merclean and Vince Defazio. 

Today, the band shared a video for the track, which you can stream below. 

You can purchase “Cherry Cola” via Bandcamp or stream it on your platform of choice. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram.