The groundhog didn’t see its shadow. Thank god. For anyone taking a rodent’s meteorology advice, the world is supposed to unveil fresh life sooner than later this year. Good thing this week is filled with a very lively debut album, plus other releases well worth a listen. We’ll start with the most exciting release. Scroll to see what else had fans excited this week.
The Best of New Music Friday:
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy
The hype around The Last Dinner Party began nine months ago with the arrival of their debut single “Nothing Matters.” That song orchestrated the presumption that their first record, Prelude To Ecstasy, would be a certified hit. There was no expectation that the LP better deliver and hit a standard. Instead, the music fandom had a lingering feeling it would be one of the hottest albums this decade. It was a sure shot. The anticipation wasn’t surrounded with passive-aggressive thoughts like “this better be worth the hype,” it was packed with a collective sentiment that “this record is going to bang.” The call is confirmed.
Prelude To Ecstasy is bold, open and echoey. The five women making up The Last Dinner Party recorded it in a North London church converted to a recording studio. Arctic Monkeys‘ right-hand man James Ford (He’s traded in The Last Shadow Puppets for a newer reservation) sat in the producer’s chair. The band starts with a triumphant title-track instrumental, setting the tone for 41 minutes worth of string-heavy, bass-throbbing songs packed with vulnerability and bliss.
The five singles released since April 2023 were hit after hit. The best appetizer setting the whole LP up for success may have been the last one, “Caesar on a TV Screen.” The song creeps in with slow shoulder swaying deep tones. Singer Abigail Morris sings, “When I put on that suit // I don’t have to stay mute // I can talk all the time” giving a not-so-subtle nod to the as-old-as-time plague women can only speak freely without interruption if they look as intimidating and have as towering a structure as stereotypical men. This song then breaks into a theatrical beat with an upswing. Morris can now say what she wants. She chooses to become the backing track to a ballroom of dancers free to boogie how they please. The band plays a song to reclaim feminine power in a relationship. Morris continues, “I was born to be with you // But it’ll be me that the world will answer to.”
The instruments all have their moments on this record. Aurora Nishevci’s keys get the spotlight in several moments, most notably on “Sinner” and other moments. Prelude To Ecstasy is a carnival. Everything triumphs at least once, but no single guitar stroke or bass lick gets in the way of each other. They all come and go with something super slick, without a frontrunning instrument carrying the track. It’s all divvied up.
The Last Dinner Party has made analogies like “serving up” this record or “cordially inviting” listeners to dabble in the fanfare. With several tours in the UK, Ireland and US on the horizon, don’t turn down an offer to one of the coolest parties scheduled for 2024.
New Music Friday Top Picks:
Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer – The Closest Thing to Silence
Bombay Bicycle Club – Willow (feat. Lucy Rose)
Meth Math – Chupetones
The Paranoid Style – The Interrogator
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you be adding to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!
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