Just when we thought London indie-pop stars Bastille were
losing steam, they conjured up their next tantalising single, ‘Good Grief’ in
June 2016, an original and catchy return to the alternative music scene, and
one which was unlikely to leave any die-hard fans disappointed. Now, to
kick-start the motor of forthcoming second album Wild World, which the simmering, anthemic ‘Fake It’ failed to
accomplish, comes ‘Send Them Off!’, the single which I believe maintains Bastille’s
original and iconic levels of swagger.
A bold hip-hop fanfare of horns to open leads swiftly into
Dan Smith’s gentle yet powerful vocals which he explains are a fusion of
“Othello meets The Exorcist”. Haunted by that green-eyed monster, Smith sings
of a desperate jealousy which can be alleviated only by the exorcising of his
mind. Alongside this comes a soft backdrop of guitar and piano/keyboard which steps
up its volume and tempo as the chorus breaks in, echoing around the vocals and
effecting slight chills in me with every subsequent listen. The addition of
quotes from 70s sci-fi film ‘Cosmos: War of the Planets’ only adds to the
band’s reputation for ‘magpie’ tactics, helping ‘Send Them Off!’ to defy the
genre’s boundaries once again, and offer up a little darkness to the light of Wild World.
The band have already added a second London O2 Academy date
to their Wild Wild World tour after selling out their first, and with a single
as strong and relatable as this, there can be little wonder why. Previously I
had only noted the band’s new releases in passing whilst listening to Radio X,
but there’s something about Bastille which means each single latches onto
something in you and now I think I might need my mind exorcised. Their new
album Wild World is due for release on September 9th, and if ‘Send
Them Off!’ is anything to go on, it may well match first album Bad Blood in popularity, so get
listening.
You can listen to the song here.
No comments:
Post a Comment