ALBUM REVIEW: The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy

a decadent, maximalist collection of musings on feminism, womanhood, gender and sexual expression, and pleasure

Some say The Last Dinner Party are industry plants, launched to success by the press without even releasing a single. Some people also say that voting Conservative is a good idea, so it just goes to show there are a lot of idiots out there.

Certainly, the rise of The Last Dinner Party has seemed meteoric, the all-female indie outfit exploding into mainstream consciousness last year, with coverage from several major music publications before any music was released from the band. However, two things are clear; one is that the band have put in a lot of work on the live circuit, with acclaimed performances that generated plenty of attention.

The other thing? The Last Dinner Party are fucking great musicians.

’Prelude to Ecstasy’ is a fantastic debut record from the quintet, acting as a decadent, maximalist collection of musings on feminism, womanhood, gender and sexual expression, and pleasure. Almost every moment is crammed with exuberant and vivacious energy and charm, as strings merge with bombastic guitar riffs and infectious rhythms; the music practically glistens, wrapped in gold and silk. Atop all of this musical grandeur is powerful lyricism that is sometimes that of vulnerable sorrow, sometimes riotous defiance and joy, and even sometimes of a righteous fury.

From the sweeping instrumental opening of the title track, the listener is plucked and carried along on a swirling musical adventure. ‘Burn Alive’ is a brooding introduction proper to the album, with its powerful, thick bass lines positioned beneath reverb soaked guitars, glittering synths, and gorgeous, evocative vocal melodies. ‘Sinner’, on the other hand, is a brilliantly whimsical ode to lust, with fantastically catchy vocal hooks, particularly in regards to the backing vocals, and slick post-punk style guitar performances.

’My Lady of Mercy’ alternates between quirky little verses, with snappy handclap rhythms and playful melodies, and huge, psychedelic choruses, whilst ‘Nothing Matters’ is a superb cut that grapples with forbidden love and endless longing, with the central chorus hook (‘And you can hold me like he held her/And I will fuck you like nothing matters’) delivered with such undeniable electricity that it becomes impossible to not sing along; you will want to become a part of The Last Dinner Party.

Despite how wonderful all of the musicianship is, however, the lyrics across the entire record are perhaps the album’s greatest strength. Whether it’s the visceral exploration of the feminine experience on ‘The Feminine Urge’ (‘Here comes the feminine urge, I know it so well/To nurture the wounds my mother held’), or the desperate search for identity and meaning in the relationships with others on the melancholy closing number ‘Mirror’ (‘Crawl out with the sunrise, no one else is to blame/I’ll leave you flowers, but not my name’), the lyrical works of this band are frankly some of the best released this decade so far.

Certainly, ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ isn’t perfect; there are lapses in the album’s momentum every now and then, yet paradoxically you can’t help but wonder if the band could have pushed their incredible ambition and vision even further, extending this record to fifty minutes and beyond, perhaps with some more gorgeous instrumental moments to really lean into that excessive nature that they have built their concept around. But if my main complaint is that I wish there was more of this record, then I think that’s a pretty good summary of my thoughts here.

The Last Dinner Party have been hounded by so much discourse that it’s welcoming to see this record be so warmly received across the musical world. ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ is proof that, when all is said and done, regardless of anything else, this band is composed of five very creative and talented individuals with a vision and passion that is near impossible to find anything but truly captivating.

RATING: 85/100 – Mostly Excellent

For Fans Of: The Last Shadow Puppets, Picture Parlour, Arctic Monkeys, Fiona Apple, The Family Crest

Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify // Twitter