This year's indie up and comers chosen to be championed by the UK press are The Last Dinner Party, an all female and one non-binary band from London that had been building hype during 2023 following the release of their debut single, Nothing Matters. The track melded catchy, singalong indie pop with theatrical baroque pop and dramatic glam rock - showing the band had a clear identity and sound from the off (and the gorgeous production courtesy of James Ford further sweetened the deal). I caught onto the hype at the very tail end of the year after the group had released a few more singles leading up to the release of the album, all of which were really great and had me very excited to hear the full thing.
Prelude to Ecstasy really follows in the footsteps of Nothing Matters, being an extravagant fusion of modern indie and pop rock with 70s glam and baroque pop throwbacks that's exquisitely produced. The sound of the record is what really jumps out first listen, as the opening title track operates as a grandiose orchestral intro to the album like the opening to a stage play before leading into the first proper cut, the bombastic Burn Alive. The thundering drums and meaty synths alongside vocalist Abigail Morris' commanding vocals have such a powerful aura about them, demanding that you stop and pay attention to them. The following track Caesar on a TV Screen alternates between fairly stripped back verses and a melodramatic, theatrical chorus that borders on being something out of a stage play. Both songs lyrically play in ideas of femininity, sacrificing yourself an unworthy partner and the fantasies of power and escaping the unlevel playing field many women face trapped in relationships with thoughtless, self-aggrandising men.
These are the running themes across the album, and are at their most blunt on the following track, The Feminine Urge. The track is an expertly crafted throwback to 60's and 70's female singer / songwriter tunes, with an effortlessly catchy yet lyrically dense hook. "Do you feel like a man when I can't talk back? / Do you want me or do you want control?" Morris belts out at the back end of the chorus. It perfectly encapsulates the clever writing present on the entire record. It's not your average 'girl power / you don't need no man' angle to female empowerment that typically occurs on a record like this, its taking a deeper look at why so many men fall short. It's not that they intrinsically misogynist, but more an outward projection of the lack of control over their own lives. Midpoint track, Beautiful Boy, similarly covers the complex power dynamic between the sexes, tackling the power that women can have through their sexuality and desirability but ultimately concluding in the face of male violence that power means nothing. "What use are red lips when you're faced with something sharp?" The opening line of the song doubles down on this, claiming "The best a boy can be is pretty", clearly stating that while women only have the power of desirability, men can have both. They can be violent and dominating, and also be attractive and charming. The song took a little while to grow on me, due to how stark the instrumentation is compared to how lush the rest of the album is, but the power of the lyrism on show here really pulls it through.
Sat in between these two is On Your Side, a lush, slowburning ballad. The track beautifully envelops you with layers of sound. Its one of the less outwardly theatrical songs, but its ability to just absorb you is equally as strong. Gjuha is a short vocal interlude that seamlessly transitions perhaps the best song on the record, Sinner. The track has drawn comparisons with with Sparks over its breathy staccato verses and explosive chorus. The track is pop-rock perfection, with its catchy singalong chorus, fuzzed out lead guitars and bouncy bassline. Again, the lyrics of the song focus on a really unique and interesting idea, the concept of wishing you knew someone while you were young and 'untainted', before the cynicism and mistrust had time to grow, before you have been hurt and let down.
The album goes on an absolute run from Sinner all the way through to its finish, rolling out banger after banger. My Lady of Mercy is definitely the heaviest the record gets, being indebted to the more swaggering side of glam rock. The meaty guitar riff stomps around as Morris evokes religious imagery to convey the obsessive idolship that many women end up placing on other women they look up to. Portrait of a Dead Girl reprises the themes of sacrificing yourself for a toxic relationship from earlier on in the record, but spins it into the perspective of someone managing to escape from that cycle. Similarly to the Feminine Urge, the chorus is dense and wordy, but still catchy and melodic. There are some great one-liners in it, with my personal favourite being "The time I wasted in your mouth", its just so scathing and petty.
Nothing Matters follows this as the penultimate track, before the album is closed out by the slower and more theatrical Mirror. The song refers back to the themes of Burn Alive and the idea of suffering for someone else for a sense of purpose. The concept focuses on Morris 'just being a mirror' for whoever she's talking to - the audience, a partner, whoever, and how she 'doesn't exist without their gaze'. The track slowly builds into a grand climax with swooning strings, over the top glam rock guitars and choir backing vocals, before the album closes with a short orchestral outro. It gives the album a very cyclic and 'real' feel to it, as the issues detailed in the lyrics wont just disappear because a band made an album about it. It gives it a sense of weight and drama that a happy ending could not.
Prelude to Ecstasy is an incredibly well written and tightly crafted debut from a band that I can see being one of the biggest names in indie rock in a few years. It's my favourite record I've heard so far this year and well worth your time. Every Track is great and can stand on its own.
Top Tracks: Burn Alive, Caeser on a TV Screen, On Your Side, Beautiful Boy, Sinner, My Lady Of Mercy, Portrait of a Dead Girl, Nothing Matters, Mirror
8/10
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