SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB – FANTASIES

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB
FANTASIES
ARTS & CRAFTS

Following the success of last year’s My Big Day, Fantasies sees Bombay Bicycle Club linking up with indie-pop titans Matilda Mann, Liz Lawrence, Lucy Rose, and Rae Morris to produce a four-song EP.

From the beginning, Bombay Bicycle Club maintains their unpredictable nature. For while the sugary sweet opening of “Fantasneeze” (where the aforementioned Mann features) sounds like an AI-generated spring/summer hit, full of joy and party atmospherics, the listener is then jarred by the excellent contrast of the strangely discordant and dark “Blindfold” (featuring Liz Lawrence), a bizarrely fascinating and mystical song, driven on by a strange-stop start rhythm, that lingers long after first listen.

More uniqueness follows, as the combination of samba-like rhythms and Lucy Rose’s understated vocals on “Willow” make for a punchy rumble, creating a musical train on rails, rocking along until its jumbled rhythm finally collapses at the end of the intriguing track.

The closer, “Better Now”, features one-time indie darling Rae Morris bringing great energy to a dance-pop number that echoes her previous collaborations with Clean Bandit.  It’s a fitting, upbeat closer to a completely unique four-song offering. To my ears, both this and the opener are the best songs of the four, but like Forrest Gump’s eponymous box of chocolates, there’s a little something for everyone here. Fortunately, none of it leaves a bitter taste, and it’s an excellent musical amuse bouche as spring looms over the horizon.

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