Bombay Bicycle Club have released the title track from what’s to be their fifth studio album, a driving and optimistic tune named Everything Else Has Gone Wrong.
Which is a fitting title for many of their fans. Bombay Bicycle Club have been consistently kicking ass for a decade now, the ol’ faithful that you can return to for a smile and a head nod – no matter how chaotic life becomes. Lately, they’ve somehow become stronger than ever. 3
Bombay Bicycle Club’s new track Everything Else Has Gone Wrong is about a distaste for writing lyrics. Ironically, these are some of the best lyrics they’ve ever put to song.
The track starts with a meaty bassline and a clean beat. The vocals pack a similar momentum, a chugging, mostly monotonal rhythm that’ll tug you in with gravitational force. The lyrics themselves are an absolute treat, written from the unique headspace of, well, not wanting to write any lyrics.
As vocalist Jack Steadman reveals, “The irony is that the song is about not wanting to write lyrics, but it has lyrics I’m really proud of.”
To anyone who’s ever tried to write lyrics, just about every line in this tune will hit home. “Aching for a word and the words are not coming” or “my tongue’s tied wrong but I’m listening right”, again somewhat ironically, perfectly capture that tip-of-your-tongue creative frustration.
But this track flies beyond the frustration, eventually. One creative road blocked often realises an opening in another, and by the end of the single, Steadman and Bombay Bicycle Club have been set on the right course. The results speak for themselves.
Everything Else Has Gone Wrong was the last song written for the band’s upcoming album of the same name, pushed upon the title track podium for this exact reason. It’s been a long time between drinks for Bombay Bicycle Club, but if this string of singles has captured any feeling at all, it’s one of reignition.
“It seemed to encapsulate everything the album is about,” Steadman said of the new tune.
The momentum which began with the release of their demos EP earlier this year has grown to critical mass, new singles Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You) and now Everything Else Has Gone Wrong both causing a massive stir amongst fans old and new.
Excuse the corny line – and I’m sure it’s been said before – but loving this band is like riding a bicycle.
Bombay Bicycle Club’s new album Everything Else Has Gone Wrong is out January 17th via Mmmm… Records / Caroline Australia. Pre-order your copy here.
