Having recently scored a huge hit single with 'Pompeii' and currently on a hugely succesful UK tour fans can breathe a sigh of relief - debut Bad Blood is every bit as thrilling and unique as everyone had hoped for.
For those who aren’t acquainted with the bands back-story, they haven’t miraculously appeared from nowhere as it may seem on the surface (having shot to mainstream fame in the past six months), having actually formed in 2010. Their sickly sweet (but loveable) tune ‘Flaws’ was born then but was only widely recognised after the music video went viral. (Over 1 million views on YouTube) resulting in it peaking at 21 in the UK last year.
Opener and second single ‘Pompeii’ closely lost out on this week’s number one spot to Justin Timberlake’s ‘Mirrors’ The track is hyper-infectious, energised and quite unusual with its choral opening, and let’s be honest, coming second to JT was inevitable and unavoidable.
Bastille are heart-on-sleeve, raw, and however much you try and resist them (and the cynic in you wants to wince at their twee romanticism that teeters on the edge of corny at times) you will no doubt succumb to their charm.
‘Things We Lost in The Fire’ is another emotionally charged, anthemic beauty, with bright metaphorical lyrics and swooping vocals. Title track ‘Bad Blood’ is crisp and lovingly constructed and is yet another residing sonnet to a lost love
, a recurring theme throughout the album, with ‘These Streets’ also following suit.
, a recurring theme throughout the album, with ‘These Streets’ also following suit.
What’s acutely refreshing about Bastille is that their brand of catchy, neo-synth pop is coming from somewhere real. The heartache and emotion Smith sings of are all his own. While the One Directions and Taylor Swifts of the pop world are mere puppets to a corporate machine, Bastille have bought something new to the table, managing to resuscitate the mainstream with some authenticity and creativity, and do so with the most catchy and experimental approach possible.
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