The Last Dinner Party

The Last Dinner Party bask in the theatrical on their entertaining sophomore album, From The Pyre.

In press notes for the LP, the band describe the vibe of their latest effort as “The Pyre itself is an allegorical place in which these tales originate, a place of violence and destruction but also regeneration.”
With songs filled with visions, death, blood, and other gory illusions, it’s fair to say the Brit Award winners deliver as advertised.

Throughout the course of ten tracks, The Last Dinner Party provide a captivating performance that sometimes feels as if it’s pushing more for audio drama than a conventional album. Through themes of loss, breakups, fame, and motherhood, the project always strives for big, bold, and gloriously over-the-top imagery.

Album standout ‘This Is the Killer Speaking’ isn’t just about a relationship that went nowhere. Oh no, it’s a murderous thriller romp that feels like a cross between Tom Jones’ ‘Delilah and Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer.

Elsewhere, ‘I Hold Your Anger’ laments, “I dreamt that you cut off your arm, and I blame myself,” as the band contends with parenthood. ‘Agnus Dei’ wants to get it on with the ghost of Lee Hazlewood, while their self-confessed examination of fame and its pressures has them invoking the guillotine and Jesus Christ.
The set is unafraid to embrace the unusual or just plain over the top.

‘Rifle’ proves to be a striking and impassioned reflection on the suffering of war. Lead singer Abigail Morris’ ethereal voice intones,
“Rising from the tomb of your mother’s womb, are you happy now?”
Speaking of the song to Rolling Stone, fellow band member and co-writer Lizzie Mayland explained,
“I was thinking about warmongering men and how unfair it is that people are forced into wars and forced to live in war zones against their will because that’s what some man in a suit has decided.”

Produced by Markus Dravs, ‘Rifle’ is filled with an angry, mournful atmosphere. A chorus cries out in anguish, and guitars roar through the ears.

In fact, even when a lyric feels ambiguous on the project, looking at you, ‘Sail Away’ (“I’m more than a girl, I am a seaside”), the audience is always engaged by a band throwing themselves into every moment with gusto set to full throttle.

‘Second Best’ sees Morris delightfully channelling T’Pau, ‘Count the Ways’ mixes wafting violin with a big, beefy rock sound straight out of the Kings of Leon playbook, while the immersive ‘Woman Is a Tree’ makes it seem as if we’re on the frontier, discovering a new world.

Drums slowly patter out a rhythm, backing singers’ harmonies add mystery, while guitars herald adventure.

A cinematic ode on an album willing to chew the scenery, produce lush musical numbers, and ultimately captivate its audience.