The Last Royals are a two piece [insert passé genre definition] band from New York City comprised of writer/producer Eric James and drummer extraordinaire Mason Ingram that [insert wildly aggrandizing statement].

Originally an outlet from producing, co-writing and a previous production deal, TLR began as an experiment inspired by the miles of NYC concrete that Eric James walked daily on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Recording in the early off-hours of the morning, James wrote and tracked one song per day for 8 days of self-described “urban walking music”. He posted the resulting A Week & A Day collection on iTunes under the name The Early Hours in early 2009.

Though the songs found their way into a number of commercial outlets (including MTV’s The Real World, Keeping Up With The Kardashians and a national Miller/7Eleven ad campaign), the initial concept of restrained laptop music left James yearning for bigger, organic beats. James recorded some additional tracks but was left looking for the right creative partner to complete the concept and bring his more aggressive, vibrant vision to life.

Enter Ingram, whose Ghanaian rhythm studies, indie experience (including Australia’s Angus & Julia Stone), and classical percussion pedigree, provide the needed organic, big-beat foundation. The two hit it off while tracking a record James was producing in Spring 2010 and James played Ingram a couple of his new demos. The concept clicked straightaway and the duo began fleshing out a forceful indie-pop collaboration, rechristening it The Last Royals.

The band was discovered and signed shortly thereafter by Ooh La La Records in Brooklyn, NY (1,2,3 “Confetti”), which set them up to record in August at Headgear Studios (TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs). The debut single “Crystal Vases” began charting on national submodern charts in the fall of 2010 and was added to regular rotation on SiriusXM's AltNation in early 2011. TLR posted several free downloadable cover songs in the Spring 2011, including the Prince classic "Nothing Compares 2 U". A debut full-length will follow in August 2011.

THE LAST ROYALS are:
Eric James (vocals, synths, guitar)
Mason Ingram (drums, percussion, samples)

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.