Review: Bastille - Give Me The Future
Bastille
Give Me The Future
Bastille contemplate sex, love and technology. Discovering a new groove on their fourth album.
★★★★
Intense, epic concept albums are a hallmark of Bastille’s discography. Frontman Dan Smith has never been one to shy away from his passion for cinematic flair and overarching narratives. Their first two records ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Wild World’ were expansive pop masterpieces that experimented with various styles and sounds over sprawling tracklists, whilst some tracks got lost under the weight of the projects, or perhaps didn’t quite meet the mark, the records were still full of bold, exciting and brave moments of creativity.
The previous record, ‘Doom Days’ aimed for a more concise, tight approach that veered towards a more traditional pop sound than ever before. Focusing on a chaotic party, hinted to take place during an apocalyptic event, the band's desire to create a more cohesive album became hampered by not committing completely to the narrative. We noted in our review that the concept itself “would never become independently apparent to someone coming into the album blind”.
This time with their new release, ‘Give Me The Future’ the themes of the album are crystal clear. From the moment you press play, there's a clear focus on the ever-expanding role digital technology plays in our lives. Most notably, the album is centred around the growing accessibility of Virtual Reality, a system that allows us to escape real life into any surroundings we choose.
It's eerie when you realise that the album was being created way before a recent surge of inescapable celebrity promoted NFTs. Not to mention, the news of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg's wild 'metaverse' ambitions. Like a prophet, Smith's fears ring loud on the album. There are also frequent mentions of the bleakness of modern politics, serving as a reminder as to why virtual life seems so appealing. It's no wonder on the opening track Smith sings 'If this is real life, I'm choosing fiction...'
Sonically, there is a noticeable shift into electro-pop from the group. Opening number ‘Distorted Light Beam’ harks back to the band's foray with orchestration, mixing synths with soaring strings. The highlight of the number is Keyboardist Kyle’s use of the revolutionary Electrospit talkbox instrument that provides the Daft Punk vocoder effect present throughout the track (heavily noticeable in the attached live performance video).
It’s one of many excellent tracks on the record. Another standout highlight is the incredible ‘Thelma + Louise’. One of the pre-release singles, it’s a slice of Pop heaven. Following a surprising rhythmic structure, it is one of the most inventive, joyous, and exciting tracks Bastille have ever created. It feels like a deliberate effort on the groups part that whilst embracing an accessible Pop format, they are still making sure to subvert standard song structure. These brave melodic decisions are frequent throughout, ‘No Bad Days’ for example, whilst being a delightful and rare display of Smith’s underused falsetto, also features a Jazz style piano solo before its conclusion.
The record frequently sprinkles elements of Jazz into its orchestrated electropop sound with great effect, the track ‘Back To The Future’ for instance, feels bombastic because of this. Glorious horns herald the arrival of the track and the band's funk-influenced bass line is a delight. There's even a Samba-Esque rhythm later on. Lyrically, there are frequent references to science fiction classics such as Blade Runner, Orson Welles '1984' and even a Wizard of Oz mention if you're listening close enough. As Smith is a well-known film aficionado it would have been nice to hear a few more obscure sprinkles of his inspirations, but his message of technological dystopia is bound to hit home with the masses.
Following track, 'Plug In...' more than rectifies this critique however, Smith is impassioned and unafraid to throw his punches at modern life. His verses are delivered at a frenetic pace, as he implements a rap inspired flow for his delivery. Notable moments include the powerful point he sings ‘Ice caps will fall, Calais will burn, wilful denial until it's my time, a bunch of old white men who don’t give a fuck, are we having fun yet?’. The track is much more akin to Hip-Hop and Techno than anything the group have attempted before, and the surprise style shift pays off spectacularly.
Whilst the core narrative of the record is Smith's fear of the virtual, there is a strong romantic undercurrent throughout the record. Across the album, Smith often makes vivid mentions of sexual desires and his conflict of whether he craves a meaningful romantic attachment or simply a night of lust. The saxophone-soaked 'Shut Off The Lights' for instance feels blissfully sweet and innocent with its euphemism filled tale of two lovers 'grace landing on the bed' who 'shut off the lights' so they can "dance" Smith sings with a wink. This is in direct contrast to the following track 'Stay Awake' in which a vocoder drenched Smith is almost robotic and blunt in his delivery of the line ‘cyberlove in an anxious age, lord above, need to get me laid’. Meanwhile, on the whistle-led 'Club 57' his confliction is painted crystal clear 'Is it love or am I just craving satisfaction' Smith asks.
The intersecting themes of sex, love and technology are best summarised by Multiple Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated British actor Riz Ahmed who delivers a softly spoken monologue for the poetic interlude ‘Promises’. Ahmed beautifully concludes 'the truth is how you lie here next to me is how we'll forever be'.
In terms of ideas and structure, 'Give Me The Future' strongly positions itself alongside Radiohead's revolutionary 'OK Computer' and The 1975's magnum opus 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships'. Both are a clear influence on the theme’s discussed across the album.
It's fascinating to see how the discussion points on the three albums have evolved. Radiohead in the 90s questioned the evolution of the technology around them, the impending blossoming of the internet. It's perhaps easy to forget back then the ease of access to the online world we currently enjoy seemed practically terrifying, just as the rise of VR and cryptocurrency sang by Smith does now. Likewise, The 1975's Matt Healy focused intently on the darker, even toxic elements of virtual relationships and sex with 'Brief Inquiry'. It's paved the way for Smith's focus on the pleasure offered by cyber sexual relationships and his more abstract and vivid observations 'had a taste of euphoria, who could blame me for wanting more?' sings Smith for instance on 'Stay Awake'. A track that fittingly features a robotic narration intro, one popularised by Radiohead with their track 'Fitter Happier' and also echoed by The 1975.
By the album's conclusion, it seems Smith comes to the realisation of what he truly desires, bringing the record full circle. ‘Don’t matter what the future hold’s as long as I've got you’ sings Smith on the euphoric choral chorus. The wonderful BIM that features on the track truly shines. One criticism is that despite such a strong focus on highly intimate and personal feelings, the themes feel at a distance to the men behind the music. Smith has never been one to place himself within the worlds he has created, but there’s definitely an ambiguity to whether the albums focus on struggles with romance within the guise of a fear of technology are coming from within. It feels like Smith is keeping the listener just at arm's length. The desired connection is just a fingertip away from Smith, I’m hoping on their next project he breaks down the final wall to the listener and truly lets them in.
Ultimately ‘Give Me The Future’, is an incredibly strong and enjoyable album, it's full of life. Featuring some of the groups finest sonic moments in nearly a decade, it sounds joyous with constantly thunderous percussion and uplifting electronics. Tracks such as 'Give Me The Future' with its anthemic chorus and 'Club 57' with its tropical dance groove are crying out for a huge arena stage. 'Thelma + Louise' meanwhile is set to be on repeat for many months to come. They've taken bold decisions and grown their sound in exciting new directions. Smith asks intriguing questions with his lyrics and paints a compelling dilemma when it comes to the effect the virtual world we've created is having on our personal and romantic relationships.
It's the start of an exciting next chapter for the Bastille.
Bastille have a plethora of upcoming tour dates including a selection of intimate album launch gigs and a full UK Arena Tour this spring.
For full details, dates and ticket information visit their site here.