Indie heavyweights Bombay Bicycle Club make their hotly anticipated return with new record Everything Else Has Gone Wrong.
Bombay Bicycle Club have returned to grace us with their latest album Everything Else Has Gone Wrong. Following a 6 year hiatus from the music industry, the band are back with a refreshing approach, tackling the album with honesty and positivity. There is a maturity that has developed both thematically and lyrically. The band cling onto the best bits of previous albums, making Everything Else Has Gone Wrong nostalgic for those who have been long term fans of the band.
Get Up is the first song on the album and is a pretty playful start to the album, full of synth and groovy melodies. Although fairly repetitive in nature, it weirdly works. Is it Real follows and has the same charm as the preceding song; it's the kind of song which you can imagine playing as you're in the middle of the gig with your arms up in the air, clapping to the beat and shouting the lyrics back to the band. Everything Else has Gone Wrong seems like a very deep and personal song for the band - lyrics such as 'I found my second wind' following a 6 year long hiatus makes this song (which initially you’d think is a pretty depressing title) worthwhile for the band.
I Can Hardly Speak is very Bombay Bicycle Club-esque, with deep lyrics and the instrumentals that are unique to the band. Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You) has a multitude of dimensions that make up this absolute tune, which seems like the most effortless song of the whole album, leaving the listener in a dream-like state. It also acts as a nice contrast to the personal reflections that Jack Steadman sung about on previous songs. People People features Liz Lawrence, whose voice compliments Jack’s extremely well. Their voices melt and fuse together, and with the classic Bombay synth and melodies it works very well. I found it pretty surprising that the band would collaborate on their first album after having their break, however, I think the song adds a lot of character to the album.
'The band cling onto the best bits of previous albums, making Everything Else Has Gone Wrong nostalgic for those who have been long term fans of the band'.
Do You Feel Loved? is another typical Bombay Bicycle Club tune and will definitely remind avid fans of previous albums such as So Long, See You Tomorrow or A Different Kind of Fix. It brings together the best of indie guitars, pan flutes and a little bit of folk. The song deals with a pretty topical issue, asking about how social media and people's opinion affect how we feel about ourselves in terms of 'feeling loved'. Racing Stripes is the last song on the album and features a pretty sad organ melody coupled with poetic and intimate lyrics, which repeat: 'the light will keep me going'. There is a lot of hope in this song, which is maybe something we can all take on aboard.
It is clear that the break Bombay Bicycle Club took was a welcome break. They seem to have come back strong and determined to produce some good songs. However, the album is nothing unique; I feel they have tried to play it a bit too safe and have stuck to melodies they know work and are good at. Saying that, why change something that works well? The album has shown that the band have matured and developed from their time away, as their lyrics are a lot more sophisticated and topical, showing they're wanting to engage with our current climate. They have created a beautiful soundscape which boasts positivity and self-reflection.
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