Album Review

Bastille – Bad Blood

• 28th Feb 2013

Bastille have been making appearances everywhere since their first release in 2011. Their Laura Palmer EP got the ball rolling and people talking about the pop outfit, fronted by Dan Smith, the man behind the band. Originally a solo act, Smith decided to form the band with Kyle Simmons, Chris Woody and Will Farquarson. And now they have released their first full length, Bad Blood.

Some of the tracks on the record have been released before, while others were teased on their two Other Peoples Heartache mixtapes. It works as a fantastic marketing strategy, in being able to sing along to a song that you’re listening to for the first time. But that hasn’t taken any of the shine from this album, as the final product is a seminal debut.

Current single ‘Pompeii’ leads the charge, opening with gang vocals above electric keys before Smith’s voice kicks everything into gear. Relinquishing any form of autotune – an oddity in pop records these days – Smith brings that live feeling to Bad Blood. This is how the young man sounds live, remember that.

‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ was originally part of the Laura Palmer EP, but keeps the overtone of the first track going. It is swiftly followed by the album’s title track, which touches on experimental pop and synths. This experimental touch is evident in most tracks on the album, thus it is difficult to pin this album to anything more than pop – it knocks back and forth between genres with each song, with each listen.

One of the most powerful songs on the album, and arguably the band’s most well known, is ‘Flaws’. Stating like something out of an old school video game, Smith sings of the problems that he and a loved one share (All of your flaws / And all of my flaws / they lie there hand in hand).

‘Oblivion’, a personal favourite from the record, sees Smith channel his inner Chris Martin. He sings smoothly over a simple piano interlude, while other additions to the song are some anthemic backing vocals and echoing drums, before closing with a gentle string arrangement.
The final two tracks on the album are ‘Laura Palmer’ and ‘Get Home’. The former is one of the most up beat on the album, musically, but its feeling has changed dramatically since its initial inception. More atmospheric in its delivery, it is another standout on Bad Blood.

Closer ‘Get Home’ takes a massive step down from what the previous track was, but in the contrast is a feasibility which becomes more apparent as the song goes on. It is a perfect closer to such a record; the song almost sums up all we’ve heard before. Crossing between genres and feelings throughout its three minutes, ‘Get Home’ gets the message home.

A superb debut from the London quartet, greater things beckon. It’s time to get excited, because Bastille look set to make their mark very evident this year.

Download: Laura Palmer, Oblivion, Flaws, Pompeii

Venue: Bad Blood
Support Band: Virgin