In a music industry saturated with semi-talented artists churning out music contrived for the airwaves, we yearn for original acts like the Bombay Bicycle Club. Creative, organic and talented, their songs are true to their unique vision and their music videos have a contemporary feel that inspires people to think. Best of all, they prove that indie rock is becoming easier to dance to – if that’s your sort of thing.
The band, founded in 2005 when its members were just 15 years old, has evolved with the release of four albums that have dominated international music charts. The 2009 album ‘I Had the Blues but I Shook Them Loose’ marked their entry to the music industry with energetic singles. The following year ‘Flaws’ came out, in which they showcased slower, more relaxing tunes featuring bluegrass and the banjo. Next to roll out was ‘A Different Kind of Fix’ in 2011, featuring a dash of electronic music elements in the mixing. When the band performed in Jakarta last year, they played singles from this album.
This year, the band releases their fourth album, ‘So Long See, You Tomorrow’, which sees the London quartet stick with their slightly chaotic synthesizer tones that are prominent in most of their songs. First single, “Carry Me”, highlights a heavy, drum-led rhythm in contrast to Jack Steadman’s drawn-out, echoed vocals. Second single, “Luna” incorporates tabla samples in the mixing. It’s an upbeat number with vocal contributions from Rae Morris whose voice glimmers throughout the beats. Meanwhile “It’s Alright Now” sounds lighter and hopeful with melodic drums while the recently released third single, “Feel”, features Indian-meets-Middle-Eastern music that gives the song an energetic vibe to balance Jack Steadman’s soothing vocals.
‘So Long See, You Tomorrow’ is produced by Jack Steadman himself and Mark Rankin and sounds different to their previous albums, making us wonder at the lack of consistency. But if every album presents new experiences as a result of their endless experiments with musical instruments, to hell with uniformity.
