Give Me the Future: Album Review

In February, while I was solely focused on writing Coachella Band Previews, several of my favorite bands dropped some new albums and I neglected to review them. The first of those was Bastille. On February 4th, Bastille released Give Me the Future. They dropped several tracks during 2021 in anticipation of the new album. Give Me the Future is Bastille’s fourth full length album and their latest since 2019.

Bastille is a band that has such a defining sound from Dan Smith’s smooth vocals. Their sound has always been a welcome consistency for me. That consistency lacks for a handful of artists so it’s nice when it exists. I will say the sound on the new album incorporates this modern, tech-y, futuristic style sound that is unique to other Bastille records, but it’s just enough to make their album sound different without making them sound different. A perfect example of this is “Plug In…” or “Back to the Future.” The theme of the album has such a deep, meaningful nature with the lyrical content too. The band credits that to the wild turn the world took in 2020 with the pandemic and what came from it.

As much as I always enjoy the music Bastille puts out, I have to say this album as a whole didn’t really do much for me. There’s a few songs I enjoy like “Shut Off the Lights” and “No Bad Days,” but overall as a whole it hasn’t really stuck out. Nonetheless, I’m grateful for the new tunes, many of which I heard over the last year before the whole album came out! Maybe that’s part of the reason why I haven’t felt as hype about it. Many of the songs I like came out before the album release. The ones I hadn’t heard yet didn’t really stick out. That could be it. I feel like I’m being picky about it. As a fan of Bastille and indie pop though, I still say it’s worth listening to and something you should decide on for yourself.

Doom Days: Album Review

Since Bastille released their sophomore album in September 2016, they’ve still been very much active in the touring and music world. They toured through 2017 and released new music in 2018 including the chart topping hit “Happier” in collaboration with EDM DJ Marshmello. It all lead up to the release of their third album Doom Days on June 14th.

Bastille’s new album is another indie pop/rock masterpiece from the British band. I feel like every Bastille album is just a continuation of the prior. Their tracks have catchy hooks that seem to stick in your head well beyond the 3-4 minutes you spend listening to a song. The consistency of their sound and vibe is a thing of beauty. I think part of the reason for that is Dan Smith’s smooth, hypnotizing vocals. Their sound also dives a little bit deeper into electronic music this time around. “Another Place” has a tropical house feel to it. “Million Pieces” also bridges that gap into electronic music. Lyrically the new record feels like it’s about getting through tough times. Songs like “Quarter Past Midnight”, “Joy”, and “Those Nights” are perfect examples of that theme. 

Bastille will be embarking on a fall tour in support of the album across the U.S. and Canada. They also have announced dates across the U.K. and in Australia. I’ve already picked up a copy of the new record and have planned to try to catch them on this tour. Bastille has put out consistently good records since their debut in 2013. They also put on a great live show. Definitely listen to this new record whether you’re a fan or casual listener because it’s another good one. You’ll probably fall into it just like I did and just like “The Waves”, you may even “get carried away.”