British indie pop band Bastille just unleashed their newest single “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???,” stylized in all caps with three question marks to, you know, really give you that ~edgy~ feel. This latest song sets many firsts for the group: the tune is arguably Bastille’s most rowdy, punk-inspired anthem to date with a little help from Blur’s Graham Coxon on guitar and vocals; it’s their first song in the key of G major, which is notable considering frontman Dan Smith continually claims that the majority of their discography is “depressing;” it’s the band’s shortest single; and it supposedly features Smith’s highest note that he has achieved with his full chest voice on a studio recording (a G4, in case you’re wondering).
With the intent of making a rock track for the sake of being in your face and as loud as possible, this is relatively Bastille’s “Helter Skelter” outing, albeit much more brief (and of course not comparable to The Fab Four). But although this is the band’s largest step into rock territory, “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” still has its shortcomings in other aspects.
Lyrically, the tune is nothing new in Bastille’s catalog. It primarily revolves around people being glued to their phones and how the media has the power to influence us because they’ve “got us listening.” These sentiments hearken back to earlier tracks like “Doom Days” or “Power” or “Blame” or “World Gone Mad” or “Million Pieces” or really any other song that tries to offer social commentary in some way since the lyrics are rather broad and widespread (like most of their repertoire). While it’s an important message, Dan Smith seems to have wrung it out dry on paper one too many times. How is this any poetic progression from their last record Doom Days? “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” merely encapsulates half of the ideas presented on its full-length predecessor, causing it to feel trite and overdone.
Musically, “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” is something fresh and new but only to an extent. Sure, this is Bastille’s most all-around rock song to date, though one could argue that their “heaviest” tunes come in the form of “The Draw” or even their blander indie rock efforts like “Blame” or “Warmth.” (I am a fan of Bastille, but you must admit that they weren’t really blazing any new trails sonically with 2016’s Wild World. It’s a solid LP, but it wasn’t a groundbreaking new sound in the alternative scene.) “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” also missed a wonderful opportunity to display a guitar solo from Graham Coxon. It would have perfectly sufficed as a bridge section and allowed the group to squeeze in one more chorus repetition before the end. But instead, they cut the tune short at 2 minutes and 11 seconds after just two go-arounds of the verse-chorus dynamic.
On a positive note, “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” does give us a glimpse at what may be to come on the band’s next record. While this lead single may have fallen short on a few fronts, it indeed showcases what Bastille is capable of and what direction they might be moving in next. It’s a catchy pop rock rager, meant to feel aggressive and fast-paced. I can’t dock the band too much since they did achieve what they set out to do. I just believe they could have pushed the envelope even farther. (Perhaps my standards are a bit high because Bastille is one of my favorite bands.)
Let me know what you think about the new single down in the comments below, and if you’re a fan of Bastille, I post lots of Bastille-related content over on Reddit if you’d like to check it out!
Alt Columnist 