The Last Dinner Party - Prelude To Ecstasy - album review

By Anya Baxter.

The debut album from the breakout British band The Last Dinner Party has been highly anticipated, having won the Rising Star BRIT Award, and toured with the likes of First Aid Kit and Hozier, a steadily growing number of fans have gathered for the reveal of Prelude To Ecstasy.

Opening with the instrumental track "Prelude", the intense crescendo and dramatic edge to the introduction promises a regal and poised album, with a little danger added in there. "Burn Alive" is an undeniable and unforgettable catchy creation, worthy of being a single for the band, as is almost every song of the stunning debut.

Having many times named their primary influence as Florence & the Machine, "Caesar On A TV Screen" pulls in Fleetwood Mac 70s inspired melodies with the chorus, blended with their signature dark pop guitars and remarkable lyricism. "Feminine Urge" is a song to scream with friends, or alone in the mirror, presenting questions and uncomfortable truths with impressive ease.

Taking a balladry turn with "On Your Side", the song tells a tale of either platonic or romantic support, so well written it can bend to the listeners feelings at the time. Blending seamlessly into "Beautiful Boy", followed by "Gjuha", a gorgeous interlude of sorts, bringing back those elegant sounds both of times gone by and a future yet to come. Somehow, The Last Dinner Party knew exactly what we all wanted to hear, what we didn't know for ourselves.

Moving into two of the band's incredible singles, we have "Sinner" and "My Lady of Mercy", both hauntingly beautiful, with marching beats behind them and vocals flitting between floaty and powerful.

Ending the album with a solid three tracks, "Portrait" is followed by the grungy "Nothing Matters", a song I have been blissfully unable to get out of my head. "Mirror" is a fantastic conclusion to what has to be one of the most exquisite and promising debut albums the industry has seen in a long time, and I can't wait to see the success it brings for the band.