Bastille, Doom Days | Album Review 💿

Alternative British collective Bastille returns in top-notch fashion on ‘Doom Days,’ they’re highly-anticipated third studio album.

After a three-year hiatus, British alternative darlings Bastille are back with their highly-anticipated third studio album, Doom Days (June 14, 2019)! The last time we heard from Dan Smith and company was in 2016 when they dropped their under-appreciated sophomore album, Wild World. Wild World featured an assortment of gems including “Good Grief” and “Send Them Off!” as well as the brilliant non-single “Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith)”.  Moving on to the album at hand, Smith and company release another enjoyable, well-rounded LP that ranks among the best of 2019.

“Quarter Past Midnight” 

““We keep on running / Running through a red light / Like we’re trying to burn the night away / Away-away, oh, away-away, oh…” ✓ “Quarter Past Midnight” was released as a single back in May 2018. Here, a very British-sounding (though top-notch vocal form) Dan Smith brilliantly paints a portrait of freedom for the night.  Both of the verses focus on 12:15 AM, using the time as a marker for being out ‘beyond curfew,’ potentially breaking every rule in the book, and making the night last as long as possible. At the end of the first verse, he sings, “Still avoiding tomorrow / It’s a quarter past midnight / But we’re just getting going.”  On the second, Smith speaks of dreams as opposed to accepting the mundane: “We want the bodies on the billboards / Not the lives underneath them.” On the aforementioned, excerpted chorus, he sums things up. All in all, this is signature Bastille.

✓ “Bad Decisions” is a welcome successor to “Quarter Past Midnight,” extending up the ‘rule-breaking’ described in the opener.  Smith sounds as expressive as ever, backed by stellar production work that both rocks yet also embraces synths.  The songwriting is catchy, particularly the chorus and post-chorus sections that result in the “bad decisions” and “Making the same mistakes / Till the morning breaks.” ✓ “The Waves” is a necessary addendum to 10 Songs That Acknowledge the Power of Waves.  The concept of the album remains alive and well on this sleek, bright, major-key joint. Maybe ‘jubilant’ is an overstatement given the ‘doom’ conveyed (“The waves are crashing down on you and me again…”), but there’s a definite shimmering quality and vibe.

“Divide” 

“Why would we divided when we could come together?” “Divide” continues the consistency of Doom Days with its gorgeous, mid-tempo balladry. Melodically, the record is nothing short of a treat, particularly the incredibly memorable chorus.  As always, Smith delivers a passionate vocal performance – his authenticity is indisputable.  The tempo picks up more on the danceable, infectious modern pop of ✓ “Million Pieces.” Yeah – totally disregard the ‘alternative’ labels for this one (“we wanted to do a Bastille song that had a drop”). Carefree, arguably, the second verse is ‘the cat’s meow’:

“We’re too far gone
Nothing I say will mean anything
Just drink, fuck, dance
Right through disaster
I don’t want to talk about it now.”

Of course, as is often the case with Bastille, the chorus is simply marvelous.  Title track ✓ “Doom Days” keeps the momentum going strong despite its short duration.  The theme of a seemingly obsessive love filled with ample bad choices continues – “We fucked this house up like the planet / We were running riot / Crazy that some people still deny it.” That said, it’s clear throughout “Doom Days” that Smith isn’t merely referencing this party or relationship – it’s much more transcendent.

“Nocturnal Creatures” 

“We’re nocturnal creatures, we own the night / And we don’t need no reason if we lose our minds.” Like the majority of Doom Days, ✓ “Nocturnal Creatures” continues a knack for clever songwriting.  It not only stays within the concept, but gives Bastille another carefree, party-driven song.  That seems to be the effect that the band was going for, per Billboard: “It was sort of about throwing yourself head-first into the night with somebody and feeling that slightly ridiculous, naïve, indestructible feeling, that feeling that you can outwit the sunrise…” It gives Smith and company another triumph by all means.

“4AM” marks a clear shift in the tone of Doom Days.  Clearly, the party is over, and Dan Smith conveys the aftermath: “In a blanket of smoke as we sink through the floor.” The stark contrast is one of the biggest selling points, conveyed through songwriting and the production. Smith’s falsetto also deserves a shout out. Of “Another Place,” Smith tells Billboard, “I wanted to write a positive song about a hookup that both parties are happy to engage in just once…” The lyrics clearly portray this sentiment, particularly moments such as “You can fill my mind and move my body with the fiction, fantasies / Just call this what it is, we don’t pretend it’s real.”

“Those Nights” 

Penultimate cut “Those Nights” features warm production cues, led by the keyboard work and an 80s/90s sound palette.  Notably, there’s a saxophone, adding to the uniqueness of the vibe. Once more, Bastille gives us a fantastic chorus that sticks without a hitch.

“Those nights when your friends are gone
When you’re holding on for someone to leave with
Those nights when you crave someone
To be there at drawn, to wake with, ‘cause aren’t we all just…” 

“Yeah, I feel my pulse quickening / When your name lights up the screen.” Bastille are indeed ‘joyful’ on ✓ “Joy”, the closing cut and third single from Doom Days.  Prior to the aforementioned chorus that seems to exhibit a dash of object sexuality, there’s drunkenness on the first verse (“Thought I’d never be waking on the kitchen floor / But here I lie, not the first time”).  On the second, Dan Smith shares his mental anguish with the person who ultimately gives him ‘joy’ (“I’m your walking disaster, keep on dragging me / From self-pity, poor me.” Confirming the joy is the bridge where Smith sings, “As night dissolves into this final frame / You’re a sweet relief, you save me from my brain.” Of course, nothing better exemplifies the ‘joy’ than the chorus, the centerpiece of this gem:

“Oh joy, when you call me
I was giving up, oh, I was giving in
Joy, set my mind free
I was giving up, oh, I was giving in.”

Final Thoughts 

All in all, Bastille deliver an absolutely terrific album with Doom Days.  11 songs deep, Dan Smith and company never miss the mark over the course of a 40-minute runtime.  Furthermore, the collective a true to the concept, while also transcending beyond it as well.  Is Doom Days among the best albums of 2019? You bet! 

✓ Gems: “Quarter Past Midnight,” “Bad Decisions,” “Waves,” “Million Pieces,” “Doom Days,” “Nocturnal Creatures” & “Joy”

Bastille • Doom Days • Virgin • Release: 6.14.19

Photo: Virgin