Bastille – Wild World

Bastille is often cited as an alternative rock group, but their sound – classic rock/pop eclectically seasoned with shades of R&B and Soul – is decidedly mainstream, as it proved to be in 2013 with the huge success of Pompeii, the first single from their debut album, Bad Blood – a great song with a catchy, melodic hook in the chorus.

Their follow-up album, Wild World, with all tracks written by lead singer Dan Smith, opens promisingly enough with the engaging single Good Grief. Beginning with a nostalgic sound bite taken from the 80s high-school comedy, Weird Science, the song’s mushy lyrics about missing someone more and more characterise an upbeat, memorable tune that comes off like a poem written by a lovesick man with the libido of a hormonal teenager crushing on Kelly Le Brock. The next few tracks are much less interesting, featuring a few too many sampled extracts from various unidentifiable movies or TV shows – adding an annoying “hipster” vibe to some of the pieces. An Act of Kindness fails to fully convince with its overly literate lyrics, and Power has an appealing crunch to it but is ultimately unmemorable, and powerless.

The album picks up somewhat in the second half: Lethargy has an interesting feel with a returning marching drum beat that gives the track a fascinating circus vibe, and Four Walls (The Ballad Of Perry Smith) is moody and contemplative with a cool R&B-inspired sound. The album’s second single, Fake It, is the best part of this latter half, with its ethereal atmosphere, and there’s a catchy finish with Winter Of Our Youth.

Bastille’s latest effort isn’t fantastic, but it is still an entertaining listen and should please the fans. Apart from the initial track, however, the lack of really memorable songs that hook you from the get-go may prevent Wild World from achieving the same success as their debut.

Mark Sempill

Wild World is released on 9^th September 2016, for further information or to preorder the album visit here. 

Watch the video for Good Grief here: