Island Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Given that they warmed up for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park two years ago and won the 'Rising Stars' award at the 2023 BRITS, it would be fair to say that The Last Dinner Party are one of UK indie-music's most hyped bands. As a result, interest in Prelude to Ecstasy, their debut album, is sky-high. It was produced by James Ford - arguably one of the most in-demand studio knob-twiddlers of recent times - and has a concept of sorts: a musical exploration of the extremes of human emotions, with confessional lyrics written after band-members dug out and re-read their old diaries. They've certainly delivered on that project, creating immersive sound worlds (in part via the use of strings and trippy electronics as well as their usual instruments) that variously draw influence from mid-70s Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, funky post-punk rock, art-rock and vintage West Coast AOR.

Review: Following on from 2022's critically acclaimed, Mercury Prize nominated debut LP The Overload, crossing over the bridge provided by last year's absurdist, Black Mirror-indebted eight-minute stand alone single 'The Trench Coat Museum', everyone's new favourite Leeds based post-punks Yard Act are set to capitalise on their momentous winning streak with the highly anticipated sophomore effort Where's My Utopia? Recorded in collaboration with Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr handling production duties, sonically the band have opted to open their playful dynamic to as many sprawling influences as possible, simultaneously leaning into synth-laden new wave territory whilst citing Fela Kuti's political messaging and worldly psychedelia as an integral aspect. As lyrically snide and sharp as ever, the reliable brand of tongue-firmly-in-cheek socio-political commentary reaches ludicrous new heights when unpacking the band's success to date, their self-awareness of being signed to a subsidiary of a subsidiary of another soulless corporation aggressively at odds with the members' personal ethos, and even the increasing admiration/begrudgery that stems from the ascension within the eyes of their supporters. It's all clever, dense, humorous and delivered via an onslaught of razor-focused bangers. In essence, it's Yard Act.