New Release | Wild World by Bastille

OH MY GOD.

Bastille’s second LP Wild World is officially released! Three years after they put out their debut album Bad Blood, they are finally sharing a new record with us. It’s out, it’s ours (-ish) and we can listen to it 24/7 for the rest of our lives (or until the 3rd record is here).

Image via facebook.com/bastilleuk

If I had to describe Wild World in three words, I would say:

Expect the unexpected.

I do not know what the band’s mindset was while creating this album but if the goal was to surprise the fans and catch them off guard, then the boys definitely succeeded. In my opinion, Wild World represents change in relationships, society, politics and the band’s approach of producing music. The second you hear Good Grief, which is the first song on the album, you will notice how different it is from anything they have done before and you will realize that Bastille stepped into a new era.

The songs on this record are very uptempo and make you want to move your body to the beat. Bad Blood was the complete opposite, many songs were rather depressing and tragic (sound-wise) instead of uplifting and joyful. There seems to have been some sort of thematic change that clearly separates the two albums. Each of them has their own vibe and while I love Bad Blood just the way it is (I swear I do), I am really excited about this new sound that can be heard on Wild World.

Another thing I noticed is that there are a couple songs that are sad lyric-wise but the band created a sound that makes them come across less tragic and depressing than they actually are (e.g Good Grief, Send Them Off!, …). Also, I feel like there are a lot of songs that start a certain way and then all of the sudden there is a 180° change in terms of beat, melody and instruments and you are basically like ‘what just happened?’. The good news is: it still works. I usually find this tactic to be very tricky because sometimes artists try to incorporate too many styles in one song and it just does not sound sonically cohesive. Bastille, however, managed to make those changes sound effortless, which is proof of the band’s capabilities as artists and their understanding of music and production.

Wild World is an incredible follow-up record. I always say that the second single/album is the most difficult one to produce/release because it might get lost in the shadow and success of the first piece of music that introduced artists to the world. Bastille did everything right and I cannot wait to see them on tour. I nearly cried when I found out they were coming to Vienna and immediately bought my ticket. Go to their website and see if the band is going to a city near you! It is going to be my first time seeing them live and I am so freaking excited to hear the live version of this record. Some of my fave songs are The Current, An Act of Kindness, Warmth, Power, Two Evils, Send Them Off!, Blame, Fake it and Way Beyond.

What are your thoughts on the new record? Do you like the shift in their style? And which are your favorite tracks? Let’s chat x

ps.: Today is one of those days where e v e r y o n e is releasing new music. Besides Bastille, M.I.A. is back with her new album AIM, Mac Miller shared another song of his upcoming album The Divine Favorite, which is called My Favorite Part (feat. Ariana Grande), Post Malone teamed up with Justin Bieber on Deja Vu, The Pretty Reckless released two songs of their forthcoming album Who You Selling For called Oh My God and Take Me Down and Kings Of Leon shared Waste A Moment, which will appear on their next album Walls.