Bastille return with the video for their new single 'Good Grief'.
The new video is a roller-coaster of humour, fear and colour. Dan Smith says, “We were excited to be able to work with NYSU (Wild Beasts, New Order, Philip Selway) on the video which was shot over 6 or so days in Madrid. It is like a mad visual Rubik’s Cube that takes a load of archetypal narrative scenarios and then twists and collides them together. We wanted to make something fun and chaotic and surreal that would serve as a fittingly odd accompaniment to the song.”
It’s just five years since South Londoner, Dan Smith (vocals/ songwriter/ started Bastille alone in his bedroom, releasing 300 copies of debut single, Flaws/Icarus. Joined by Chris Wood (drums), Will Farquarson (guitar) and Kyle Simmons (keyboards) the band line-up was complete. Relentless gigging, genuine word of mouth and some smartly curated mixtapes (featuring collaborations with the likes Haim, Kate Tempest and Angel Haze) meant that within three years Bastille had become a global phenomenon; the band’s chart-conquering debut album ‘Bad Blood’ selling over four million albums alongside eleven million singles. In the UK, the twice Number One album was certified double-platinum and named the biggest-selling digital album of 2013. Hit singles ‘Pompeii', ‘Flaws’, ‘Laura Palmer’ and ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ helped Bastille become the year’s biggest-selling global breakthrough act; with over a billion Spotify streams earning the band British Breakthrough at the following year’s Brits, alongside two Grammy nominations.
Their hugely anticipated new album, ‘Wild World’ retains the vivid, rich, filmic songwriting of its predecessor but pushes the band’s unique sound in exciting new directions. Lyrically, too, it’s a leap forward. “If our first album was about growing up and the anxieties surrounding it” Dan explains, “Our second is about trying to make sense of the world around you, both as you see it and as it’s presented to you through the media. It’s also about asking questions of the world and of the people in it.” Last week the band announced the album’s title by releasing a captivating cinematic trailer via their Facebook. The trailer amassed over 500,000 views in just 48 hours (1.2 million views to date) sending fans in to a frenzy.
2016 looks set to see Bastille scale new heights and cement their reputation as a major global act. The four piece play many of this summer’s festivals with further headline dates yet to be announced.
