A good start to their third studio album, but underwhelming compared to classics like 'Pompeii'.
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If you can think back to 2016, when Bastille released their second album, Trump was on the rise and Brexit had just happened, the world looked like it was about to tear itself apart. Wild World drew inspiration from current affairs. With their latest release, ‘Quarter Past Midnight’ Bastille have taken their music in a completely different direction. Talking to NME, lead singer Dan Smith compared their previous and next albums to The Matrix by suggesting that Wild World was “taking the blue pill, questioning the world” and that their next studio album would be” taking the red pill”, offering listeners a chance to escape from the reality of the world.
‘Quarter Past Midnight’ has a completely new vibe. The single is about nights of your youth, letting the night take you wherever, reflected in the lyrics “we keep on running, running through a red light, trying to burn the night away” and forgetting about the world (“help me piece it all together darling”). The pace of the song is upbeat and uplifting, and supports the lyrics well, giving a new feel to Bastille’s meaningful lyrics.
As singles go, it’s a good start to the tracklist for their next album. However, compared to tracks from Bastille’s debut, this latest single falls short from classics like ‘Pompeii’ and ‘Of The Night’, however it does build on the downbeat tone of Wild World. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what else the London band gives us in their yet-to-be-named third studio album.
‘Quarter Past Midnight’ is out now via Virgin EMI Records
