Bastille - Wild World


Bastille
Wild World
2016
Spotify

Wild World finds Bastille at a bit of a crossroads. Their debut album sold over four million copies, they have been streamed in to infinity and you can find very few people who don't at least know one song from the UK based group. That success usually means some kind of ego explosion, and the following sophomore release is mediocre at best. But for Bastille it seems stardom has bred a type anxiety, self doubt and some really great song writing. On "The Currents" we hear some really great writing as Dan Smith tries to reconcile the fucked up world we live in with this new fame He has found for himself, but also that populous sound that makes Bastille so appealing to so many. Plenty of comparisons have been drawn between Bastille and Coldplay and their music for the masses, but where Bastille out pace Coldplay is in the edge category. Their guitar heavy sound, which is much more prevalent on this new record, feels warm and comforting despite the somewhat erratic subject matter. "Warmth" has this really strong simple bass line that drives this perfect pace the song has. It pulls you along this super angsty, yet at the same time dancey track that is simply fantastic. Bastille's ability to create a song that instantly turns into an anthemic is something really incredible.

"Two Evils" slows things down, and is really the one speed bump on the album. It sort of is just there, not great as a ballad and not really in line with the vibe of the other songs on the album. The song tends to be aware of it's own grandiosity, and just kind of gives up half way through. "Send Them Off" however pulls everything right back around with another hands in the air sing a long, bolstered by a really fun almost horn-ish sound at the bridge. The "Complete Version" on Spotify offers an additional five tracks, which in all honesty don't really need to be there. It makes the album feel longer than it should and does not offer any new takes or sounds that we would miss if they were not there. As a tricky sophomore release there were a lot of pitfalls that Bastille needed to avoid. Somehow they have managed to make a great follow up to what was a really great debut. The sense of fun is still there in the music despite it's heavy subject matter, and it really does make all the difference. Wild World might be a bold title, but the record lives up to it and more.

8.1 out of 10

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