THE LAST DINNER PARTY - PRELUDE TO ECSTASY
Packed with striking cymbals, bold and provocative, The Last Dinner Party’s first album has started 2024 off with an unbelievable bang. The album delves into themes such as gender envy, female objectification, growing up, and change, but does so in a way that doesn’t dwell on these topics. Instead, the group takes them and reclaims them, creating a powerful, uplifting, and thought-provoking album. Often, newly emerging bands spend their initial albums experimenting with sounds and identity. However, The Last Dinner party have arrived to the scene fully formed, showcasing their distinctive and impressive sound that is hard to dislike.
The Last Dinner Party's debut album, Prelude To Ecstacy, begins with an orchestral overture, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of an empty church with candles flickering all around. The initial track establishes the tone, and as the second one, ‘Burn Alive’ seamlessly blends with the beat of the first, we are instantly immersed in a contemplative and dreamy journey with vocals that leave a profound and lasting impact.
The gender-fluid lyrics exude an incredibly confident tone throughout multiple tracks. In ‘Caesar on a TV screen’ Morris sings about life as a man, powered by Davies’ bass-driven groove in the back. Morris takes control of the vocal space, delivering a dynamic performance. Unreal.
‘The Feminine Urge’ track stands out as a personal favourite for its straightforward approach. The lyrics, questioning traditional relationship dynamics with lines like, “Do you feel like a man when I can’t talk back? / Do you want me or do you want control?” directly engage the audience. This direct targeting creates a personal tone, inviting listeners to reflect on situations where men want to exert dominance over women, prompting critical thoughts about society and traditional masculinity that should die out.
‘Beautiful Boy’, positioned a few tracks ahead of ‘The Feminine Urge’ offers a poignant piano lament that serves as an antithesis to the previous track. While ‘The Feminine Urge’ delves into traditional relationship dynamics, ‘Beautiful Boy’ explores gender envy and masculinity, drawing inspiration from body horror narratives such as ‘The Green Ribbon’ - a popular tale amongst feminist writers.
The final track, ‘Mirror,’ encapsulates the raw power of The Last Dinner Party's debut album, serving as a poignant conclusion that contrasts with the indulgent energy of the album’s singles. Despite this contrast, ‘Mirror’ showcases the band's fearlessness and deftly challenges traditional genre boundaries, offering a refreshing and exhilarating perspective on contemporary music. Its emotional depth and musical complexity make it feel like the culmination of a journey, tying the album's themes together and leaving listeners with a sense of having experienced a compelling narrative alongside the band.
With Florence + The Machine and Pink Floyd influences throughout in terms of vocals, message, and instrumentation, The Last Dinner Party are a band that should be on everyone’s playlist right now. They bring a very refreshing take to the indie/alternative scene; for new listeners, imagine the Brontë sisters if they formed an indie-rock band because that’s The Last Dinner Party. How can you not want to become a fan of that?
Emily Fletcher
★★★★★