When you think of the band Bastille, you might think of “Pompeii,” that infectiously catchy and slightly overplayed indie-pop anthem from a few summers ago. But this fall, they are back with a brand new record, “Wild World,” and from the sound of it, they’ll be taking radios by storm all over again with the standout songs from this sophomore contribution.
Released in early summer, “Good Grief” is Bastille’s leading single and first track from the album, and it foreshadows the general theme and mood of the entire remainder of the record. With a smooth groove, a fun baseline and a falsetto intro, the song starts out extremely promising, and does not disappoint as it continues on. Contrary to the upbeat tempo, the lyrics refer to a loss or a breakup, with the singer Dan Smith asking, “What’s gonna be left of the world if you’re not in it?” and chanting in the chorus, “Every minute and every hour / I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more.”
The many voiceovers used in this album enhance the listeners’ understanding of the band’s mindset and inspiration when writing and completing this album. Rather than detracting from the actual lyrics themselves, they add depth and uniqueness to each song on “Wild World.” A good amount of the songs use voiceovers from movies and television, such as the 1985 science fiction film “Weird Science” (heard in “Good Grief”) and the cult classic 1999 television show “Freaks and Geeks” (heard in “Snakes”).
However, a good amount of the voiceovers and the album itself examine more political issues. The second song of the album, titled “The Currents,” discusses how absurd and bigoted opinions can be, and how the lead singer “can’t believe [his] ears” at what some people genuinely believe. Right before the bridge, we hear a voiceover from “Make Mine Freedom,” a piece of anti-communist Cold War propaganda, saying, “When anybody preaches disunity, tries to pit one of us against the other … you know that person seeks to rob us of our freedom and destroy our very lives.”
Another noteworthy song is “Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith),” which questions criminal punishment in the United States, one of the last Western nations in which the death penalty is still instituted. The title refers to Perry Smith, a man who was convicted and executed for murdering four members of a family in Kansas in 1959. The lyrics debate how humane the practice is and claim that we are now “faced with two wrongs,” though Dan Smith does concede that what Perry Smith did was terrible, and he now has to “carry it with [him].”
Arguably the best track on the record is the intense “Send Them Off!” It revolves around the singer’s seemingly chronic jealousy, and he is calling upon someone to “set [him] free” and “exorcise [his] mind.” He employs the help of Desdemona, of Shakespeare’s “Othello,” to liberate him from this possession of jealousy, though the source or reason for this jealousy is not directly stated. The reference to “Othello” works well here, as the protagonist of the play is overcome with jealousy over the thought of his wife Desdemona cheating on him.
Though most of the remaining tracks are very high-tempo, vibrant pop tracks with insightful lyrics and enjoyable melodies, they don’t linger in the back of your mind for more than five minutes after listening to them. The 14-track record does pick up at the end with the songs “Blame,” “Fake It” and “Snakes” — though the final song “Winter of Our Youth” lacks the catchiness and clever lyrics of the other tracks.
The majority of the album is indie pop at its finest. With fresh, upbeat songs, feel-good rhythms and telling lyrics, Bastille triumphs in its sophomore album. With its external reflection on political and social issues, and an internal focus on the emotions of longing and jealousy, Bastille does a great job in giving its reasons to support that we live in a “Wild World.”