Album Review: Prelude to Ecstasy

After their first single Nothing Matters blew up on TikTok, The Last Dinner Party have gone from strength to strength and built themselves a small army of fans. Their theatrical take on music and their aura of mystery have made them this year’s BRIT Rising Stars and BBC’s sound of 2024.

The roots of The Last Dinner Party can be found across London when they started performing post Covid across the city, the foundation of their music and artistry is all in live music and performance which is no surprise when listening to this album. This album is one that needs to be heard live and, a sold-out Roundhouse warm up gig was the perfect way to start this album cycle.

The five-piece band are bringing back drama, fun, and theatrics to the music world which has been missing with hauntingly beautiful vocals along with the suspenseful instrumentals Prelude To Ecstasy is The Last Dinner Party’s perfect introduction to the world. It has been so long since an album has been this addicting and sonically perfect with each song perfectly flowing into each other and telling a story of greed, heartbreak, and desire. Yet, each song is strong enough to stand out on its own and hold its own outside of the track list.

The seamless transition between Beautiful Boy, Gjuha, Sinner is a perfect example of 3 individual stunning songs coming together to elevate the overall sound of the album. This track list run added something special to the album and added another layer to the album’s narrative, Sinner which was originally released as a single in June of last year has been reshaped into something else entirely once you hear it alongside the other album tracks.

On Your Side has also been revied since this album release as paired with the other tracks on the album it flawlessly adds to the overall narrative and sound. It is hard when an album comes out as the previously released singles can sometimes get lost amongst all the new music but on Prelude to Ecstasy this is not the case it is clear that there was thought and intent behind each song and what it will add to the album.

Arguably the standout track on this album is The Feminine Urge which will become a Last Dinner Party classic for years to come. This song along with Nothing Matters and Caeser on a TV Screen will be the songs recommend when asked “I want to get into The Last Dinner Party but I don’t know where to start?” The chorus vocals are reminiscent of Marina’s Froot album and are incredibly addicting and are part of the reason why this song is on repeat. This song will definitely be soundtrack in a TV crime drama in the future when the killer is revealed or a character is announced mad.

This album is nothing short of excellence with the previously released singles now sounding even better, which was something not thought possible. The Last Dinner Party are truly a revolutionary band feeding off artists like Florence and The Machine, Marina and Kate Bush they have bought all those iconic female singers together and created something magical. It is impossible to think that Prelude To Ecstasy is a debut album and not an album from a seasoned band, they have truly put in the work in every element to show the world exactly who they are and it is exciting to see who they will become and what levels they will reach.