British indie pop band Bastille just unleashed their newest single “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???,” stylized in all caps with three question marks to, you know, really give you that ~edgy~ feel. This latest song sets many firsts for the group: the tune is arguably Bastille’s most rowdy, punk-inspired anthem to date with a little help from Blur’s Graham Coxon on guitar and vocals; it’s their first song in the key of G major, which is notable considering frontman Dan Smith continually claims that the majority of their discography is “depressing;” it’s the band’s shortest single; and it supposedly features Smith’s highest note that he has achieved with his full chest voice on a studio recording (a G4, in case you’re wondering).
With the intent of making a rock track for the sake of being in your face and as loud as possible, this is relatively Bastille’s “Helter Skelter” outing, albeit much more brief (and of course not comparable to The Fab Four). But although this is the band’s largest step into rock territory, “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” still has its shortcomings in other aspects.
Lyrically, the tune is nothing new in Bastille’s catalog. It primarily revolves around people being glued to their phones and how the media has the power to influence us because they’ve “got us listening.” These sentiments hearken back to earlier tracks like “Doom Days” or “Power” or “Blame” or “World Gone Mad” or “Million Pieces” or really any other song that tries to offer social commentary in some way since the lyrics are rather broad and widespread (like most of their repertoire). While it’s an important message, Dan Smith seems to have wrung it out dry on paper one too many times. How is this any poetic progression from their last record Doom Days? “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” merely encapsulates half of the ideas presented on its full-length predecessor, causing it to feel trite and overdone.
Musically, “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” is something fresh and new but only to an extent. Sure, this is Bastille’s most all-around rock song to date, though one could argue that their “heaviest” tunes come in the form of “The Draw” or even their blander indie rock efforts like “Blame” or “Warmth.” (I am a fan of Bastille, but you must admit that they weren’t really blazing any new trails sonically with 2016’s Wild World. It’s a solid LP, but it wasn’t a groundbreaking new sound in the alternative scene.) “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” also missed a wonderful opportunity to display a guitar solo from Graham Coxon. It would have perfectly sufficed as a bridge section and allowed the group to squeeze in one more chorus repetition before the end. But instead, they cut the tune short at 2 minutes and 11 seconds after just two go-arounds of the verse-chorus dynamic.
On a positive note, “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” does give us a glimpse at what may be to come on the band’s next record. While this lead single may have fallen short on a few fronts, it indeed showcases what Bastille is capable of and what direction they might be moving in next. It’s a catchy pop rock rager, meant to feel aggressive and fast-paced. I can’t dock the band too much since they did achieve what they set out to do. I just believe they could have pushed the envelope even farther. (Perhaps my standards are a bit high because Bastille is one of my favorite bands.)
Let me know what you think about the new single down in the comments below, and if you’re a fan of Bastille, I post lots of Bastille-related content over on Reddit if you’d like to check it out!
So Doom Days is chock-full of references to historical events, literature, films, music, and more. This is my attempt to identify those references and provide explanations for them. I’m fairly certain this is NOT a complete list because there are probably some I overlooked or didn’t catch on to. These lyrics are all taken from the official album lyric booklet. Feel free to add on in the comments below and give further insight to the ones I’ve pointed out!
“It’s a quarter past midnight” – Pretty sure this refers to the Doomsday Clock. (Also see the tour poster artwork.) The Doomsday Clock is a “clock” routinely updated to represent how close humanity is to the apocalypse/global catastrophe. The closer the time is set to midnight, the closer the world is to ending. So if it’s a quarter past midnight (12:15), the world is certainly ending and in total disarray.
The Sirens – A girl group from the UK, popular in the 2000s. This reference is intentionally ambiguous; one could interpret it as “the sirens,” i.e. police/ambulance/emergency sirens, signaling chaos or “the end of the world.” But it is also meant to be interpreted as The Sirens, the music group being played on the speakers.
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” – The most well-known song by the band Joy Division. I find it rather fitting since DD contains the songs “Joy” and “Divide.” This song tends to come up a lot later on.
The Doomsday Clock being set to 100 seconds to midnight in 2020
“Love me, leave me, rhythm of the evening” – Not confirmed, but I have an inclination to believe that this is a reference to the song “The Rhythm of the Evening” by Gary Numan. “The Rhythm of the Evening” begins with the line “Love me,” and the first verse of the song ends with “The rhythm of the evening / Will tear us apart again,” which harkens back to the Joy Division reference in QPM. (“Love Will Tear Us Apart”)
“London’s Burning” – Although this isn’t officially distinguished in the lyric booklet, it could be interpreted either at face value or it could be a reference to the song “London’s Burning” by UK punk rock band The Clash. The song was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. May I also mention that Dan (as a solo artist) and Bastille participated in the Strummerville Summer Sessions in 2009 and 2011, respectively? Strummerville is part of the Joe Strummer Foundation which promotes new music in the UK.
Groundhog evening – This more than likely refers to the 1992 film Groundhog Day where the main character becomes trapped in a time loop, repeating the same day over and over again. This relates to the lyrics “We lost track of time.” (Also, the film’s cover has a giant clock on it, so there’s that lol)
Kubrick’s Hollywood – Stanley Kubrick is a renowned film director, particularly successful in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Some of his films focus on the end of the world, such as the dark comedy film Dr. Strangelove, a personal favorite of mine, which revolves around threats of nuclear warfare during the Cold War that could potential lead to global destruction (apocalypse vibes, you know). One of Kubrick’s most popular films, of course, is A Clockwork Orange, based on the novel of the same name which is set in a dystopian Britain (hi, dystopia in the UK again). This is probably the film Dan was primarily referring to.
“We Never Never give up on a lost boy life” – Okay, multiple things, so stick with me. First, “Never Never” is capitalized as such in the lyric booklet. I believe this capitalization could refer to the 2003 album Never, Never, Land by UK electronic artist UNKLE. This album contains samples from the songs “She’s Lost Control” and “New Dawn Fades,” which are originally tunes by (you guessed it) Joy Division. Second, Neverland is the fictional setting of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, home to the Lost Boys. Peter Pan is the captain of the Lost Boys, and Peter Pan is known as “the boy who wouldn’t grow up.” Dan is implying that they never wanted to give up their youth (“Winter of Our Youth” has entered the chat). Peter Pan is also later mentioned in the song “Doom Days” in the punny line “We’re gonna Peter Pan out,” which suggests that Peter Pan is also meant to represent the overall sense of escapism and not wanting to confront the tragedies around them and the troubles of becoming adults. In “The Waves,” this is outlined in the following line: “So here we are escaping from the world outside.”
The Twilight Zone – The popular TV series surrounding strange fantastical, psychological, and at times horror-filled alternate realities or unusual sci-fi events. The pilot pitch for the series focused on a time travel adventure. (Have I mentioned the concept of time enough yet?) The series’ creator/producer Rod Serling also wrote the tele-play Noon on Doomsday. Hmmmm
The King – This is capitalized in the lyric booklet, and I’m not 100% certain on what it could be referring to. I tend to interpret it as calling political leaders clowns, but the capitalization leads me to question if it is referring to something specific. (?)
“Fear and Loathing” – This may refer to a couple different things. First, the novel/film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which has a lot to do with drugs and hallucinations. The film features the song “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Rabbits are mentioned a couple of times on DD: “We’re gonna rabbit hole down” in “Doom Days” and “I’ll be your rabbit in the headlights” in “Those Nights.” The song “White Rabbit” was influenced by Alice in Wonderland, which can easily be related to drugs and hallucinations. This psychoactive theme plays into “don’t pull me down from the ceiling,” i.e. being high or on an acid trip as a mode of escapism. Also, the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland was constantly running late and losing track of time. Now, this might be just a coincidence, but the second thing “Fear and Loathing” may be referring to is the song “Fear and Loathing” by UK artist Col3trane. The music video for this song is a time-warping narrative, and the title of the project the song is from is called BOOT, an acronym for ‘Breathing Out of Time.’ Can I make the time thing any more obvious? lol If the lyrics in “Million Pieces” are not a direct reference to Col3trane’s song, then Col3trane’s song is just another heavy reference to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Something in the Kool-Aid – This is a common colloquial saying to imply that people are essentially being brainwashed somehow. The idiom originates from when cult leaders (ironic, huh) would force their followers to “drink the (poisoned) Kool-Aid” and blindly accept their indoctrination, particularly the Jonestown Massacre incident.
Portraits in the attic – A reference to The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. The meaning of this quote is to say that someone’s appearance hasn’t aged or deteriorated over time, that they’ve had their portraits in the attic where they can be kept in pristine condition. In the context of the lyrics, “Last couple years have been a mad trip / How’d you look so perfect?” is the writer asking another person why and how the past few years haven’t taken a toll on them the same way those years have taken a toll on the writer.
Final days of Rome – Fairly self-explanatory, but when you look into the reasons why the Roman Empire fell, it really adds some more meaning. Factors that may have contributed to the fall of Rome: poor economy, overspending on the military, government corruption, power struggles and instability amongst political leaders, widespread disruption due to changes in popular religious beliefs, and, last but certainly not least, climate change. Hm, funny how history repeats itself. These reasons are obvious parallels to many of the challenges currently facing society. “Doom Days” also discusses religion to an extent, criticizing traditional religious practices that tend to cherry-pick what they want to believe in and how these practices can wear down the progression of society.
The blue pill – This is a reference to the 1999 film The Matrix where the main character must choose between a red pill and a blue pill. The red pill represents harsh reality and unpleasant truths, whereas the blue pill represents the idea of “ignorance is bliss.” Saying “We’re gonna choose the blue pill” furthers the sense of escapism and wanting to remain unaware in order to avoid swallowing the bitter pill of reality. This line perpetuates the ideas from “Million Pieces.”
Rabbit hole – This is another Alice in Wonderland reference, i.e. falling down the rabbit hole into insanity or to escape reality.
Third act – This refers to the principle of Chekhov’s gun. It is a storytelling tactic utilized throughout literature/drama to ensure that every aspect introduced in the plot is important. The idea of the gun is “if you put a rifle on the wall in the first act/chapter, it must go off by the third.” The third act is typically the climax of the plot, the culmination, the pivotal shift, the breaking point, etc. The gun must go off. By saying that the “doom days” are the third act, Dan is saying that the metaphorical guns people have hung on the metaphorical wall must go off. Traditions and tensions of the past must be confronted. Injustices must change. The sociopolitical climate must shift. So forth and so on. The line continues, though. “Third act, love now.” This insinuates that love will be the thing that brings about change, the thing that sets the gun off. Perhaps love will tear us apart in the best way.
Peter Pan – Like I explained earlier, Peter Pan represents the overall theme of escapism and not wanting to “grow up,” which in the context of DD might be more than just confronting adulthood. It could also mean not wanting to confront all the current issues circulating in the world. This is continued with the line “We’re gonna stay naïve tonight.”
This isn’t a pop culture reference or anything, but I see a lot of people getting the lyrics wrong in this song so I just wanted to clear it up lol The official lyrics for the chorus of “4AM” are “Here, here, my family – you are my familiar, you are my famiglia.” Famiglia is Italian for family. Not sure why Dan wanted to throw some Italian in there, but hey, why not lmao
This one also isn’t a reference to anything, just another lyrics clarification. The word “Joy” is actually capitalized throughout the song, meaning that Joy is more than likely the name of the person Dan is writing about. It’s another intentionally ambiguous lyric since it can be interpreted as the emotion of joy or Joy as a person.
So that’s the list so far! Like I said, feel free to add on to this or contribute any further insight. :) Still avoiding tomorrow.
Bastille broke into the mainstream with their 2013 hit “Pompeii” from the band’s debut LP Bad Blood, a record that offered indie pop with an alternative tinge. The UK band followed it up with Wild World, their sophomore effort released in 2016. There was more distortion, more social commentary, and, well, more indie pop rock… Another three years passed and Bastille returned with Doom Days, marketed as a concept album about a rowdy party during the apocalypse, filled with emotional ups and downs.
Personally, Bastille never really caught my eye. I recall hearing “Pompeii” on pop radio back in the day, but I barely even noticed when they dropped Wild World in 2016. I named that album one of the most overrated albums of 2016 in my year-end list and wrote off the band as nothing more than a mainstream “alternative” act plying for a pop-friendly sound.
The band’s debut Bad Blood felt both overpolished and yet underproduced sonically. The songs were either too gargantuan in scale or uninteresting snoozefests, either too washed out in the mixing or so barebones that they felt like demo tracks. Fans hyped the lyrics up as being so deep and soulful, but I found it to be somewhat overly pretentious and basic.
I can’t blame Bastille for their approach to this record though. In 2012 and 2013, a number of alternative-leaning bands were crossing over in pop audiences with this organic, authentic style, both instrumentally and lyrically, and bombastic, grandiose anthems. Take a look at Imagine Dragons with big hits like “It’s Time” or “Demons,” Of Monsters and Men’s “Little Talks” and “Mountain Sound,” Fun.’s “Some Nights” or “We Are Young,” The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” Passion Pit’s “Take a Walk,” or… well, you get the point. The most similar contender for comparison to Bad Blood would be Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions; the folky attitude, larger-than-life choruses, classic instrumentation with some electronic flair mixed in, the albums are practically long-lost brothers. So sure, I can see why Bastille fit into this mold, but man, was it trite as hell.
Wild World felt like we were taking one step forward and two steps back. Yes, the ripping guitars on numerous cuts were strongly welcomed, the sound suited the band fairly well. But the production was ear-grating with odd background noises or snare timbres or backing vocals. The choruses came across as lazily written since most of them were just one or two lines repeated over and over again, and the flimsy sociopolitical commentary was rather bland and surface-level. And to top it all off, the majority of the songs all sounded the same! I couldn’t tell the first, like, 16 tracks apart. Wait, shit, that’s the whole LP. The album was forgettable after about one listen, which reminds me of another album with a similar title… *cough* Wilder Mind by Mumford & Sons. Oh, hey, another band that tried to make a “rock” record that turned out to be boring and forgettable! Really, it says something when the only tracks I found myself genuinely enjoying on Wild World happened to be the bonus tracks.
Now I will say this: Bad Blood and Wild World are not bad albums. I do believe they are a bit overrated, but they are not completely awful outings. I might not have been able to get behind the hype but to each their own. So you can bet I was surprised after my first listen of Doom Days. I… I actually… enjoyed it? Me? Being fond of a Bastille album? Yes, it’s true. I like Doom Days. It took a minute to grow on me, but I do indeed like it. Maybe not love, but I like it. Maybe it’s because I had low expectations going in, but I like it. I guess now we should actually talk about this latest record rather than all the other albums in the band’s catalog.
When I saw that Bastille was gearing up for a new full-length by releasing the lead single “Quarter Past Midnight,” I remember not being impressed. I didn’t think much of it, and I surely was not invested in their collaboration with M********o on “Happier.” But after Doom Days was officially released, I decided to give it a chance, maybe just for a good laugh. I was lukewarm after the first spin, but with each listen I grew more enamored with the record. At first I didn’t buy into the idea of Doom Days being a concept album; it didn’t feel like there was much of a narrative, just some recurring themes and motifs intertwined throughout the tracklisting. Now I see the vision, and though I still think it’s a stretch to call it a proper concept album, I can see why the band believes it.
Should we get the negatives out of the way first so we can end this review on a happy note, just like this album? While Bastille has dialed back on the trying-too-hard-to-be-deep writing, there are still some moments throughout the record where the band is attempting to sell the idea at hand as being so big and emotional when it’s really not that deep. Ooh, apocalypse! Ahh, relationships! Err, something like that…
Also, the slower songs on Doom Days all crescendo into these big endings, and while it’s nice that we get to catch our breath before being catapulted into another colossal chorus, I feel like the roster just needed one song, just one slow, quiet song, to really give the listening experience a bit of contrast. “Those Nights” is a contemplative glance at how we’re all just craving some love during these difficult times. The power ballad piano chords are nicely executed, but the song ends with this left-field dubstep-esque breakdown? It feels somewhat out of place.
Speaking of places, “Another Place” is a rather EDM-inspired tune, along with “Million Pieces.” Perhaps Bastille was trying to appeal to the listeners they gained from “Happier” or something. These tracks are enjoyable enough and do add some different flavors to the record, but some strange production choices pop up here and there, like the repetitive whooping in the background of the “drop” on “Million Pieces,” or the over-sanitized vocals on “Another Place,” which also has some weird background noises. “Joy,” one of the best numbers on the album, is plagued by this unnerving squeaky sound that rears its head on the upbeats during the chorus. And a handful of songs feature intriguing guitar riffs that are unfortunately too quiet or get lost under the percussion or walls of sound. I typically have a few gripes when alternative bands incorporate more synthesized elements into their style, but I don’t necessarily mind Bastille shooting for a more dance-influenced, electropop sound. They’ve always had it buried in their DNA since Bad Blood, so I believe this is a natural progression for them as artists. I do wish, however, that this album featured some more interesting or prominent bass grooves.
Lyrically, there are a few odd pop culture references thrown in, sometimes ones that kind of ruin the moment. The title track “Doom Days” starts off with the line “There must be something in the Kool-Aid” and later references Peter Pan in the most cringey way possible. Peter Pan is slightly pointed to again on “The Waves” when Dan Smith sings “We never, never give up on the lost boy life,” which is thankfully a more tolerable and broad interpolation. Stanley Kubrick is mentioned on the second tune “Bad Decisions,” which is probably just flying over my head because I can’t quite figure out why it exists. (Help?) The title track also seems to cram way too much in too little time; it’s the shortest track on the album and yet seems to pile on the most societal commentary over a grimace-worthy trap beat.
Overall, these drawbacks are for the most part minor nitpicks that don’t entirely ruin the album for me. They don’t detract from the listening experience too heavily and I can let most of them slide because, well, I admittedly still don’t have incredibly high expectations for Bastille.
On the positive side, there are a lot of things I admire about Doom Days. Dan Smith has greatly improved his vocals (seriously, go listen to Bad Blood and compare it to Doom Days), and his range is impressively expansive, which he flaunts on cuts like “Joy” and “Bad Decisions.” The record only consists of 11 standard tracks and two bonus tracks, vastly shortened from the 19 total tracks that comprised Wild World. This shorter run-time allows less room for mistakes or for songs to sound too samey, and the album doesn’t feel like it’s dragging on for too long.
I appreciate the cohesion between tracks, which I guess is relatively required for a concept album. But the nuances are what tie things together. The background vocals near the end of “4AM” sing the lyrics of the bridge from the opening track (“I can’t remember…”), as well as the background vocals earlier in the song (“Might be a walking disaster”) that reference the closing track. “Those Nights” ends with a hazy “From my brain,” which leads into “Joy” where the lyrics are the bridge’s refrain.
Of course, the idea of living in “the doom days” is strung throughout the LP. The band claims they wanted this record to emit a sense of escapism, powering through dark times by partying your ass off and winding up in some interesting interpersonal situations. The title track delivers some perspective on how people have become so dependent on their phones, how we can’t tell what is real or fake anymore, how the planet is being torn to pieces and yet people deny it, so forth and so on. So much is mashed into the shortest tune on the record, which I feel doesn’t totally allow the notions to fully breathe or feel fleshed out. Nonetheless, the perception that we’re all so addicted to phone screens is ironically contradicted, or perhaps driven home, on the album’s closer “Joy” where the narrator of the track solely finds fulfillment from the phone call of a lover. This acceptance of how consumed in technology we have become is rather tastefully and subtly accomplished through this juxtaposition.
The fervent “Million Pieces” expresses how heartbreaking the world has become. “The king’s a clown,” “we’re too far gone,” “no one is loving,” etc. The second verse touches upon that idea of escapism again, saying “Just drink, fuck, dance right through disaster,” which could probably double as the tagline for Doom Days as a whole. While the lyrics are moderately vague, “Million Pieces” still effectively communicates the despair tormenting our current social climate, wrapping it up in a danceable, poppy beat.
Instrumentally, Doom Days features a lot of stellar piano melodies, most noticeable on tracks like “Quarter Past Midnight,” “Divide,” and “Nocturnal Creatures.” There are also a handful of string sections speckled throughout the record. This authentic instrumentation mixed in with the electronic aspects creates a modern yet original sound, which is executed a hundred times better on Doom Days than on its predecessor.
Gospel choir chorales are also sprinkled into the mix, which truly finishes the album off expertly on “Joy.” Bastille has always incorporated vocal harmonies into their music, whether in the front of the mix or pushed to the background, but here on Doom Days, the gospel influence is turned up to 11. On “Joy” specifically, the choral refrains wrap a holy, sunshiney, and, well, joyous sentiment around the tune. It feels as though “Joy” would have been incomplete without the choir. “The Waves” is also nicely complemented by the choral voices that add a sense of grandeur and enthusiasm to the track.
All in all, my reasons for enjoying Doom Days are rather personal. There is nothing objectively good or bad about this album, as to be expected with any piece of art. It’s subjective. I would sum up Doom Days as mediocre indie pop at its best, but for some reason I still like it. The compositions presented on this record are, for the most part, well done. It’s an entertaining pop album that’s easy to throw on and listen to. You could possibly get something deep or emotive out of it, but Bastille is not trying too hard to shove anything down your throat or craft some groundbreaking philosophical statement. The sound of the record will obviously not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like pop, electropop, indie pop, or lighter alternative music, this album might suit your taste. I’m sure you could toss it into the category of “millennial pop” given its lyrical topics and musical timbre, but that’s all it’s aiming to be. Sometimes less is more, and Bastille proves that on Doom Days with the shorter tracklisting, tighter production, and ordinary but still affective lyricism.
Overall, I think Doom Days is Bastille’s best album to date, and while it is still flawed and at times uninteresting, it’s serviceable enough. I’m rating it a 7.5/10 …for now. That’s subject to change as the year goes on, but for the time being, I’ll be dancing my way through the doom days.
Let me know what you think of Doom Days down in the comments below!
