By Mackenzie Shields

The British band “Bastille” released their fourth album “Give Me the Future” on Feb. 4. In a world full of uncertainty, the band seeks to explore possibilities for what the future may hold. Clocking in at only 32 minutes, the album packs a lot of reflection into little time.

The album begins with “Distorted Light Beam,” which was the first single put out before the official album release. A classically upbeat opener pondering the nature of perception and the desire to escape from reality. The song is melodically simple, relying on the lyrics to convey its message. The theme of escapism continues into the next song, “Thelma + Louise,” which approaches the pop genre.

The next tracks are perhaps the darkest on the album, diving into some of the worst possibilities for what the future holds. “No Bad Days” encourages the listener to take an apathetic view toward life and struggles unsuccessfully to find comfort in what might happen “When you’re gone.” The song pushes and pulls between electronic and acoustic elements, combining piano and heavily autotuned vocals in a lyric-less bridge. The song also showcases singer Dan Smith’s impressive vocal range.

A short orchestral interlude introduces the next song, which references several dystopian and science fiction works, such as George Orwell’s (“Animal Farm”) “1984,” Aldous Huxley’s (“Island”) “Brave New World” and borrowing its title from the film “Back To The Future.” In an effort to avoid living in the present, it jumps both forward and backward in time.

Two songs delve into the rap genre, taking advantage of its rapid pace to pack dense lyrics into short verses. “Promises…” is recorded in conjunction with rapper Riz Ahmed (“Once Kings”) and could be described as poetry rather than rap. Only a few sound effects and long single notes back Ahmed’s reading. The poem is preceded by “Plug In…,” which is another darker vision of reality. The verses use rap elements to plead for reassurance, with Smith asking for someone to “tell me we’ll be alright.” The song is one of the most vulnerable on the album, fearing the nature of humanity.

After several pessimistic songs, the album jumps into its first love song, “Shut Off The Lights.” An upbeat track which clings to the relationship it describes, it is the singer’s escape from his fear of what is to come. A similar theme is explored in the eleventh track, “Club 57,” which is equally upbeat and even features a whistling line. Disguised as a lighthearted tune, it also touches on the fear of fake connections, asking “Is it love, or are we just craving attention?”

The album moves away from the future and into the present with “Stay Awake?,” which bleakly ponders why the artist would want to live in this world. It is followed by the title track, in which instead of fearing the future, the artist begs for it in hope that it might be better than what he is experiencing now. It acknowledges the uncertainty associated with what is to come, but takes an optimistic stance on what that could be.

After a short interlude, the album closes with “Future Holds,” featuring singer BIM (“Beauty In Chaos.”) This ambitious finale includes soaring layers of backing vocals and uses gospel elements. Its theme is the most decisive, and after twelve tracks of reflection, Smith concludes that he “can’t live fast and die young obsessing over the future.”

Though simple musically, the album’s depth lies within its lyrics and theme. Asking more questions than it gives answers, “Give Me The Future” leaves its listeners with plenty to reflect on.

Image from Bastille via YouTube