Bastille have announced that the final single to be taken from their phenomenally successful debut album Bad Blood is to be Oblivion. For Bastille fans and owners of the album this song is nothing new, but the band is taking the last opportunity to push their existing material out to new listeners before going to work on their all-important second album.
Bastille are probably best known for their memorable vocals and catchy drum beats, so Oblivion may sound a little different to the untrained ear. This track is one of the simplest and most stripped back of Bad Blood, featuring just lead singer Dan Smith’s vocals, piano, strings and an electric drum kit. Oblivion is pretty much open to interpretation, but basically it tells of a person struggling to keep up with the state of mind of someone else, but eventually accepting it.
Too often, after the lead single of an album is released, the other singles do not get the same recognition that they deserve. We hope that this will not be the case for Oblivion, although there is the worry that it could be eclipsed by the success of Pompeii, Bastille’s mega-hit. Whilst this song was never going to be a club favourite like its predecessors, it’s clear that Oblivion still contains the essential ingredients of every good Bastille song – talented song writing, strong instrumentation and a deeper meaning than most other songs in the charts.
Today the official video for Oblivion was released on the MSN website. Already it has received a mixed response, despite Bastille being well known for their cryptic, confusing music videos. We, however, like the video – it really struck a chord with us, and, for once, we actually understood the story on our first watch. It also features Games of Thrones actress Sophie Turner. Make up your own mind and watch it here: http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/bastille-oblivion/2t5djvpx
It’s a little sad that Bastille have almost reached the end of the line with Bad Blood, but it’s positive too. With a new album comes new songs, performances and opportunities for the band. So whatever’s in the pipeline for Bastille, we’ll never stop being excited about what’s coming next.