Bombay Bicycle Club rise above the crowd again on their new LP.
As they reach their some 15-year milestone, Bombay Bicycle Club’s latest effort provides evidence as to why they still deserve to sit on the throne as one of indie rock’s few remaining leading lights.
From the raucous student union anthems of I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose in 2008 to the acoustic folk follow-up Flaws and the aptly titled Everything Else Has Gone Wrong released at the height of the pandemic, the London four-piece have matured far beyond the noughties’ indie goldrush for guitar music.
While a brief hiatus announced in early 2016 suggested they may be close to the end, with frontman Jack Steadman pursuing a solo project under the brand of ‘Mr Jukes’ and bass guitarist Ed Nash forging a similar path as ‘Toothless’, it wasn’t long before these alternative aliases were given a backseat in favour of creating new music together.
If Everything Else Has Gone Wrong saw an intriguingly vulnerable glimpse into the lives of these now thirty-something bandmates, laying all their uncertainties around relationships, growing old and mental health bare during a time of deep anxiety for everyone, My Big Day could well be seen as the more optimistic musical cousin now that we’re safely on the other side.
A notable difference from previous records is the overtly collaborative direction: while the likes of Lucy Rose and Rae Morris (who features again on here on backing vocals) have always been longtime collaborators and fans of the band’s work, there’s a conscious decision to hold the proverbial door open to a wide range of genres and artists.
Much attention will be paid to the Damon Albarn featuring Heaven, with its hypnotic R&B rhythms, ascending synth notes and bursts of melodic guitar riffs weaving around Steadman and Albarn’s efforts to piece together what exactly it is that leads us to personal fulfilment as we collectively rail against the fear of taking risks to escape the mundane.
Perhaps a more leftfield joint effort (apparently suggested by Albarn himself) is found on Tekken 2, which sees the inspired funk and soul influences of Chaka Khan take centre stage. A tale of self-belief, resilience and getting up again when you’re down, the song draws obvious analogies for anyone of a certain age who played the iconic Tekken video game series.
Spritely seventies’ guitar chords underpin encouraging lyrics including, ‘We don’t need to wallow cause it’s no fun, we don’t need to follow, follow, follow anyone’, for joyous and uplifting results.
It’s certainly stellar stuff, yet perhaps a testament to the strength of the album – and the band’s longevity – that it isn’t quite the standout moment. This would have to be awarded to the penultimate track Diving, in which the rising talent of singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone shines brightly.
Harnessing all the finest elements of a classic Bombay Bicycle Club tune, including Steadman’s uniquely fragile yet soothing vocal delivery, jangly interspersions of guitar and a poignant dose of introspection, Humberstone complements all the above with her soaring voice.
Combine all this with a Bollywood-style instrumental intro and vivid lyrics such as, ‘Roll the past away from me, run along and dip my feet, hold our breath and we can do down’, and you have all the ingredients needed to affirm that the band’s endearingly earnest roots are still at play here.
When the band are left to their own devices, they don’t disappoint. While Just A Little More Time is light on lyrical variety, it makes up for this in its instrumental revisiting of upbeat electronic Bhangra samples for a distinctive parallel with Steadman’s laid-back vocal approach.
The title-track is the epitome of the more carefree mindset on display here, with speckles of electro-beeps chiming happily along to Steadman’s nonchalant calls. While there’s a lot to be said for the band’s previous ability to craft relatable notions of crippling uncertainty, introversion and looking in on life as a near-bystander, it’s certainly reassuring that the message here is to give yourself a break from feeling overwhelmed from the pressures of a regularly puzzling society.
As if to add an exclamation mark to the above, Turn The World On is a genuinely heartfelt portrayal of navigating that unnerving life stage between youth and middle age with a sense of renewed enthusiasm once believed to be consigned to days past.
Hardly missing a beat throughout their sixth studio album, Bombay Bicycle Club show that they’re brave enough to mix up a tried and tested formula to great effect, and want as many people as possible to join in the fun as they push further away from any association with ‘landfill indie’ and closer towards the peak of their powers.