Bastille are Back!
Head in your phone?
Seeing a sea of people online but saying nothing?
What you gonna do?
Dan Smith anchors Bastille into a new era of thought-provoking slamming rock which ignites your Arctic Monkeys Dancing Shoes to the max!
It seems that many thought Bastille were taking a well-earned break after touring their third studio album, ‘Doom Days.’ It can be said with some degree of modesty that Smith & co rarely mess around with releases, and subsequently, fans don’t have to wait long for new music. Channelling this vein, Smith proclaims, “we finished the song and it felt urgent.”
In 2018 Bastille merged with EDM monster Marshmello, for single ‘Happier’ which was a chart success, peaking at number 2 respectively on both UK Singles (OCC) and US Billboard Hot 100, with streams on Spotify boasting over 1.2 billion, rivalling their debut masterpiece ‘Pompeii.’ This collaboration, much like the one with Craig David may have given original Bastille fans cause for alarm. However, with the band’s two new singles grooving with rock and indie flavours, this paints a progressive picture for the band’s status, and signals a new album on the horizon.
About the Song
In 2020 Bastille’s roots seem thoroughly cemented within the rock genre, and ‘WHAT YOU GONNA DO???’ confirms that. Stripping it back to basics, they are a rock band: drums, guitar, bass, and frontman, straight up and down, chicken korma!
The song itself begins with a familiar guitar riff, about 4 seconds, not too long to get absorbed enough to imagine yourself in the 1970s, but enough to re-introduce the band as a rock outfit. This blur-esque sound of rhythmic guitars and crashing drums is an exciting difference from ‘Doom Days.’
Blur guitarist, Graham Coxon, rated as one of the top 15 guitarists of the last 30 years features on the track, with a writing credit, appearing instrumentally and focally too. Other members of the band can contribute more to the new single with a stadium-friendly sound. Seeing Bastille perform at Glastonbury 2019 on the Pyramid Stage, ‘Doom Days’ ‘Million Pieces’ didn’t feel like a stadium friendly sound, but their new single will no doubt encourage headbanging to the extreme.
“Shake, rattle and roll
You got control
Got my attention
Make me tap and scroll”
These lyrics have a clever cataphoric link with a well known 1950s rhythm & blues hit ‘Shake Rattle and Roll’ by Big Joe Turner.
“I said shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll
Shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll”
Bastille’s usage of these lyrics maybe twofold, the band could be harkening back to the origins of blues to reflect their willingness to showcase their new found rock intention, as blues is the main precursor to the rock genre. Secondly, the band look to satirically rhyme “shake rattle and roll” with “make me tap and scroll.” Definitions of “shake rattle and roll” are ones of dancing and organically having a good time decades before mobile phones were taking over people’s lives. This very natural enjoyment looks to be contrasted with the hollow and cold one-sided, solo effort of tapping and scrolling on one’s phone, leading to what Bastille surmise as little fun, as shown in the music video.
The music video is visceral enough to paint a satiric picture of people living on their mobile phones. Johnny, who is “shiny on the surface
rotten on the inside” demonstrates the distinct two-sided nature of humanity’s relationship with social media. How we perceive others in real life is markedly different to their portrayal on social media.
Got a screen to hide behind
She says she’s happy on the inside
And got a lot of friends online”
Next we have Sally with her single large eyeball sat on the toilet stuck to her phone, and by this point, Bastille have had enough of being subtle. The grim graphics show a dark world where technology governs us. With their new loud sound, we can expect their message to be greater than ever. Approaching their 30s with aplomb, the boys have had enough of simply speaking their message, they want to shout it!
Disclaimer
In short, I’m excited, and perhaps there is a bias to this review, but how could you review music without enjoying it? I believe this is impossible.
So what you gonna do?
Now, what you gonna do with it?”
Parisian Poetry 