LUCIA & THE BEST BOYS - BURNING CASTLES
Scottish indie-rock and electro-pop-inspired band - Lucia & The Best Boys - emerges with their long-awaited debut album - Burning Castles. Their singer - Lucia Fairfull - has made her mark in the Industry by catching the eye of designer Alexander McQueen - but she is also a hypotonic vocalist with the stage presence of a mythical fairy. This dynamic debut presents the group as a force to be reckoned with in the electro-pop genre - as they intertwine elements of rock with art-pop - Lucia & The Best Boys captivate audiences in an ethereal sense with this stacked release of eleven immaculately produced songs.
Opening the debut with ‘Butterflies’ - an ethereal electro-pop enthused track - Lucia sings: “You’re my one and only / I want you to hold me.” It is a somewhat love song - declaring how when around this person - Fairfull gets butterflies in her stomach. The band in this track also incorporate the sound of a guitar weeping intertwined with the electronic synth of the overall track - an experimental choice for the opening track on Burning Castles.
Moving effortlessly onto track number two is ‘When You Dress Up’. This sultry, moody, and darker track was played when the band supported indie-rock band - Wolf Alice - on their 2021 Blue Weekend Tour - proving it to be a song that has been under their belt for a long time. Lucia’s dominance exerts when she sings: “I’ll show you what I’m made of,” this track shows the never-ending confidence of Lucia & The Best Boys - their assertiveness within the song. Despite the art-pop elements remaining within ‘When You Dress Up’ this track is laced with rock influences - the heavier guitar and drum pattern mirroring the band's earlier EP’s - Best Boy and Cheap Talk - sonic sound. Despite edging deeper in this hypnotic electro-synth realm - the band remains faithful to their roots in this track as they embody sultriness and confidence.
‘So Sweet I Could Die’ mirrors the rock elements present in ‘When You Dress Up’ - the heavy drum patterns again patterned with the powerful mastery of the band create this effect. “You’re so sweet I could die,” is the tagline of the song - echoing an indie-rock element - enthused with a badass attitude from Lucia as she delivers one of her best vocal performances on the album on this track. This song makes you want to strut down the street without a care - the rockier electric guitar guides you through each beat.
The relatable experience of realising someone you once loved no longer cares or thinks about you is present through ‘Care’. Starting quitter and building in tempo towards the chorus - ‘Care’ has a feel-good danceable beat - yet is coupled with juxtaposing lyrics. Realisation is the theme of the track as she sings: “In the back of my mind I always knew / That we never ever ever ever ever meant to be together,” a heartbreaking yet cathartic realisation to have during a relationship separation. ‘Hurt Somebody You Love’ explores a similar self-realisation notion and is another personal track on Burning Castles. The Scottish electro-pop band sings: “I’m stuck inside this ugly mess that you created in my head,” leading the song to become a somewhat targeted and aimed track. As this song is mainly just piano and vocal until the drum edges in on the second chorus - the song builds in structure and becomes more emotional as it continues - making it more dramatic.
The title track - ‘Burning Castles’ - provides a haunting experimental-pop vocal to the album - Lucia’s vocals melt seamlessly into this genre - reminiscent of the vocal stylings of electronic-pop singer Caroline Polacheck. “Out with a band and in with the blue / I’ll see you again when I’m shiny and new,” proves a stand-alone lyric for the entire project - the lyricism in this track seems flawless and mythical.
Ending the hypotonic debut with ‘Favourite Thing To Lose’ - the album ends on a full-circle sense of self-discovery as the themes of fragility turn to maturity. “Pick you up then say I’m through / Your my favourite thing to lose,” adds a cathartic and almost closing of a chapter sense to the theme of the album - the struggles faced and sung about in previous tracks are beginning to heal: the band realises they can move on from the past.
Lucia & The Best Boys memorise and encapsulate with their highly anticipated debut - cementing themselves as a band who can merge and shift genres effortlessly without losing themselves or craftsmanship in the process. The experimental art-pop influences intertwined with rock elements allow Lucia & The Best Boys to burn castles and bridges once formed in relationships and start this Burning Castles era on the right foot - they will fly forward effortlessly in this genre with the help of Lucia’s haunting vocals and the band's ability to adapt instantly to the genre of each song on the record. The record is a thoroughly enjoyable listen for a band with an incredibly bright future.
Amber Nielsen
★★★★