Review | The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy

Label: Island Records

By Emily Malia

Rock and roll has been resurrected in the form of The Last Dinner Party; their debut album ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ is a world building, maximalist, masterpiece. With the success of their euphoric anthem ‘Nothing Matters’ and every track that’s followed, it’s evident that this band are far from claiming ‘one hit wonder’ status. From the guitar solo in ‘Sinner’ to the beautifully raw vocals in ‘On Your Side,’ this record takes you on a trip through genres, centuries, and literature.  

Starting the album, as they mean to go on – dramatically – the band creates a sense of doomsday with the orchestral instrumental, announcing their arrival with pure melodrama.

It’s not the only time on this album you hear both bandmates Aurora and Emily’s classical backgrounds come through. This instrumentation also appears on the piano ballad ‘Beautiful Boy’ and the closing track ‘Mirror’. These influences, paired with lead vocalist Abigail’s versatile voice that can both settle and excite you, creates the ultimate blend that the next generation of alternative fans have been waiting for. 

The Last Dinner Party perfectly represents the female experience on this album from sex to sexism but in a poetic and imperceptible way that makes it palatable and open to interpretation – the sign of true lyricists.

They have mastered the ability to write eloquent lyrics whilst maintaining a melodic chorus in ‘Burn Alive’ and you can’t help but sing along to the defiant words “I am not the girl I set out to be, let me make my grief a commodity, do what I can to survive”. It’s no wonder the song is often used as a show opener.

Exploring the power play between men and women with lines like “Do you feel like a man when I can’t talk back?” is the standout track ‘The Feminine Urge’ and encapsulates the feeling of female rage. “The feminine urge, I know it quite well, to nurture the wounds that my mother felt.” Is a lyric that holds such power and could imply the generational trauma that is carried by young women, as a result of the patriarchy. 

Rounding off the album is ‘Mirror’: another thought-provoking song about the male gaze that leaves you with an unforgettable guitar solo, reminding us just how nuanced this band is and, when we leave all aesthetics and renaissance fashion references aside, talented.

‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ is one of the best debut albums of the decade, overloaded with sounds, ideas and bursting with influences, it’s eclectic and yet perfectly cohesive. The Last Dinner Party prove that you can carry a grandiose facade and yet follow through with the execution.