Bombay Bicycle Club – Everything Else Has Gone Wrong
It’s been close to six years since London-based Bombay Bicycle Club released their last album, So Long, See You Tomorrow back in 2014. The British four-piece felt they had hit their peak after touring the album and playing their largest show at the London Earl Court in 2015, and decided to split. “It’s so much easier to stop when you can call it quits and know you were at the top”, says singer/guitarist Jack Steadman. “I think if we had gone any longer, we may have broken up in such a way that we might not have ever been able to return to it.”
After a few solo releases from Steadman and bassist Ed Nash respectively, and one masters degree for guitarist Jamie MacColl (Suren de Saram toured as a session drummer), the band are back together and have put out their new album, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong. The 11-track effort encapsulates the band’s mutual understanding of finding solace and meaning in their music. As they head into their late 20’s, the boys of Bombay Bicycle Club have become more appreciative of their careers and understanding their personal relationships with each other, and more prominently, themselves.
“For me, this record is looking at the next stage of being in your late 20s,” says Ed Nash. “…There are songs about companionship, about trying to find your place in the world, all these things we never really touched upon before. All of our friends are struggling with that next stage in life.”
And no song encompasses this more than the album’s title track, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong. The lead single, and probably the best song on the album, hits hard with the chorus “keep the stereo on, everything else has gone wrong”. Opening with a heavy, dark bass line, and lyrically being hopeless and pessimistic, it eventually does a 180. Steadman brings it home with the bridge of “I guess I found my peace again / And yes I found my second wind”, building momentum and finding hope in a resurgence.
For the most part, Bombay Bicycle Club carry a newer, and matured energy on Everything Else, but there are still tracks, such as the lead single “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” that holds a firm grasp on their earlier sound. Their latest single “Is It Real”, and “I Worry Bout You” will have longtime fans finding comfort with a familiar sound as well.
But for those eager to hear the band expand their music will be happy with the glowing dance track “Do You Feel Loved?”, with it’s catchy flute melody and dance rhythm, as they explore the juxtaposition of technology and connection. “For me, it’s rare to write a song about contemporary culture,” says Steadman. “But it is about technology, and how we’re all desperate for affirmation, refreshing our phones to look for people to love us and to get likes.” Likewise, the swelling synth track “Let You Go” finds Bombay Bicycle Club heading into a different direction.
Tying the album together is “Racing Stripes”, a pensive and delicate chorus of “this light will keep me going”. Acting as the closing mantra for an album about finding new inspiration and traction, MacColl explains, “’Racing Stripes’ is the first song we’ve done where I feel you could have a lighter in the air and sing along to it. I find this album to be so much more positive than anything we’ve done before. It is inherently optimistic about what’s next”.
Fortunate for us all, Bombay Bicycle Club are looking toward the future with a positive light. With five albums under their belts, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong may not end up being their most popular release, but it is definitely their most mature and well-rounded, with plenty of layers to unpack and appreciate as they continue to grow and find new ways to surprise their fans.
Visit their website to order your copy of Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, and to get your tickets to their upcoming North American tour.
8/10
Tour dates:
April 16 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall*
April 17 — Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
April 18 — Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek
April 20 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
April 21 — Tulsa, AZ @ Cain’s Ballroom
April 22 — St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
April 23 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
April 24 — Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
April 26 — Edmonton, AB @ Midway
April 27 — Calgary, AB @ The Palace
April 29 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
April 30 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
May 01 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
May 02 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
May 04 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
May 06 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
May 07 — San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
May 09 — Mexico City, MX @ El Plaza Condesa
