Bastille, a British indie pop band with a unique sound and musical message, released their sophomore album on Sept. 9.
Wild World is an exploration of the human condition in the rawest sense. Despite registering on people’s radars and radios back in 2010 and releasing their debut studio album, 2013’s Bad Blood, which included iconic tracks such as “Pompeii,” the band has still kept to the fringes of popular music. They sweep in like eagles to drop a heavy hitting song on society that makes us think about the nature of our world and then they swoop out again.
The entire album combines music with snippets of spoken words that comment and complement the musical content that follows. The first track “Good Grief” starts off with a woman’s voice saying, “So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?” and so begins the adventure that is Wild World.
That snippet sets a tone for the entire work. The album is not afraid to embrace its indie pop genre by mixing in electronic sounds with lyrics that speak to your soul. The songs are about finding your place in the world, making it the perfect album for a university student or a new graduate, especially on the track “Campus.” It captures that feeling of being just another person on campus, of feeling like an outsider sometimes no matter what. “Just another brain on the campus, just another set of ideas.”
The song “Lethargy” talks about how people tend to choose apathy over investment and engagement, because it’s difficult to stay idealistic in our society. “You checked out years ago, oh what I’d do not to worry like you.”
The tracks are about people and their lives, their choices, and the way that we work in order to survive in this wild world. Assigning blame is not really the point of the album, despite the track entitled “Blame.” The opening of the track has a heavy guitar presence, a steady drumbeat and incorporates snapping, which calls all of the focus to the lyrics. The piece has more of a rock music feeling and concentrates how people always want to blame others. “This is my body and soul, don’t pin it all on me.”
The final track, “The Anchor” begins with a spoken snippet that states, “You can’t tell someone what’s going on in your brain,” and then leads into the song, which is about hope. It’s about finding people to anchor yourself to and though it’s less pop than “Pompeii,” it has the same light and hopeful feel about it.
Wild World is an experience. It feels like a part of a larger narrative, as if the band is sharing a chapter of their lives with their listeners, but the full book is yet to come. That is not to say that it feels unfinished. It is certainly a complete work of art, but it leaves you with an inexplicable desire to click the replay button again and again.
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