After six years, Bombay Bicycle Club is back with what they do best
It’s been a long six years since Bombay Bicycle Club’s last album So Long See You Tomorrow came out in 2014. After a three-year hiatus, during which time the London band’s members tried to pursue solo projects, they reunited having realized how much they missed recording together. From this, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong was born.
At 11 tracks long, this fifth studio album successfully captures many of Bombay Bicycle Club’s ever-changing sounds and styles from over the years. The percussion and horns in “I Worry Bout You” and “Do You Feel Loved?” display their world music influences. The bright electric guitar riffs in “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” and “Is It Real” capture that indie rock spirit, which contrasts, but still suits, the electronica leaning “People People” and “Let You Go.”
On their official website, they describe the album’s main topic as “the comfort that music can provide in times of need”. Upon further listening it’s easy to see it also covers themes of friends falling out, missing the people you love, and second chances. In the title track “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong,” Jack Steadman sings “And yes, I found my second wind // And yes, I found some hope again,” and this truly does feel like a second wind from the band. While there’s a little bit for everyone in this album, and nothing is that risky or new, it still feels like the Bombay Bicycle Club we know—and I’m happy with that.
Rating: 7.5/10
Trial Track: “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong”
