It has a been a little over a week since Bastille have released their highly anticipated sophomore album, Wild World — their second number one in the UK (their first being their debut, Bad Blood, back in 2013) — and needless to say it has been more than worth the wait. Unlike Bad Blood, which front-man Dan Smith told to NME was “slightly looking back a bit […], Lynchian […], [and had] retro film noir vibes,” Wild World is more grounded in the “slightly sterile, dystopian” world of the present. A theme — more apparent in the band’s 1984-esq WWCOM headquarters pop-up shops than the album itself — which influences, but does not mask Smith's intimate and introspective 19 track look into the relationships that form and shape the world around us.
Sticking true to the band’s cinematic nature, Wild World can be thought of as a soundtrack to a film that only exists within Bastille’s imagination. It seamlessly incorporates media ranging anywhere from Truman Capote’s 1966 true crime novel, In Cold Blood, to a brilliantly weird film about nerds creating their ideal woman (Weird Science). However, these sound bites simply serve as framing devices to Smith’s narratives, which delve into the human psyche; and more specifically the way in which we deal with the invisible pressures that surround us. Whether it be searching for psychical distraction in the face of disconcerting news (“Warmth”) or struggling to deal with the inevitability of aging (“Winter Of Our Youth”), each track speaks to a different way of coping with the utterly chaotic world. This point is reenforced by the wide range of influences and sounds which shaped the album, such as the dulcet tone of Simon & Garfunkel and the cutting edge hip-hop production of Kanye West. It’s an anachronistic story that on the surface is disorientating, but reveals itself as innately familiar as one sifts through the triumphant and meticulous production. We are all aware of it even if we don’t recognize it: we are living (despite it all). How a “pop" band can sell existentialism to the masses stems from Bastille’s uncanny ability to cleverly subvert emotions under the gauze of ironic production, such as euphoric and upbeat songs about grief (“Good Grief”) to subdued and melancholic verses about a comedic sex blog (“Oil On Water”). The delivery may be strange for some, but it speaks more to what Bastille is trying to do as a band: challenge people's perceptions of pop music (if that is even possible in a world where genre is becoming less of a be-all-end-all). At the end of the day, Wild World is an album that owes itself to the warranted selfishness of band who couldn’t give a f'ck about what others think. It is a piece of modern art in the digital age created by someone who is trying to piece together and comment on the society in which we live. Euphoric, depressive, and hopeful, it offers a glimpse into human existence; and personally, I think there is something so utterly beautiful knowing that there are people who understand how difficult and wonderful it is to live in this wild world of ours. Wild World is available to purchase on all formats across the internet.
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