Bastille – &

Label: EMI
Released: 25th October 2024

With Bastille on a well-earned break from touring, Dan Smith found himself at a loose end. A loose end that lasted approximately 1 second, because Dan Smith does not do breaks. As restlessly creative as ever, the Bastille leader has spent the last couple of years cooking up an ambitious storytelling musical project that has resulted in ‘&’, a 17-song collection that stands among his greatest work rather than an idiosyncratic curiosity.

The album is all about characters. Rich and varied people throughout history. Some of them are attached together like ‘Leonard & Marianne’, some of them are notorious for example ‘Red Wine & Wilde’, and some have hugely illuminating lives like ‘Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her’. The one connecting link between all of these people is Dan’s songwriting as he evokes their stories tenderly and with vivid imagery.

The album is softer and quieter than Bastille’s work but no less engaging. Rooted in ornate acoustic finger-picked guitar with a folky heart, the songs are burnished by huge swelling orchestral crescendos or brief, truly jaw-dropping moments like Dan’s vocal on the soaring ‘Drawbridge & The Baroness’. The element of surprise makes it a constantly compelling listen as Dan navigates you through his own unique take on history.

A side project that’s successful on his own terms as a towering piece of work.