Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“Prelude to Ecstasy” is my first introduction to The Last Dinner Party (“Nothing Matters”). What an album.

The album starts with an instrumental title track There is not too much to write home about with this opening song.

The first song featuring lyrics is “Burn Alive.” Driven by a funky bass line on top of an energetic guitar makes for a unique and fun listening experience. Many of the songs on the album give off an ‘80s vibe, which serves as a time capsule for fans of a different generation. Overall, this is a very fun track that sets the mood for what is to come.

“Caesar on a TV Screen” and “The Feminine Urge” follow, keeping the energy up for the album. These two feel like the “hits” on the album. They both feature plenty of emotion and great songwriting, playing with key changes and different time signatures to convey the feeling of good versus evil

Much like many other indie rock albums, the band throws a ballad onto the record, called “On Your Side.” It is not bad by any means, but with what was to come on this album it feels a bit out of place. 

“Beautiful Boy” is next. A wonderful flute and piano intro followed by angelic harmonies and an epic eruption puts everything positive about this band on full display. What I truly love about this song compared to the rest of the album is how the drums take a back seat. The drums lead a majority of the upbeat songs to this point, so having them take a backseat to allow the guitars to take over is a brilliant move.

The next two tracks can be grouped together in “Gjuha” and “Sinner,” the former written entirely in Albanian. Why the band paired the two songs together is entirely for the transition. Unbelievable. “Sinner” takes over the ball and absolutely runs away with it. It is fast and features piano and an unbelievable guitar melody. The harmonies add a Queen (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) vibe to the song. The track absolutely solidifies the album as an underrated gem early on in 2024. 

But it is not over yet with “My Lady of Mercy,’’ and “Portrait of a Dead Girl.” These two songs carry the momentum of “Sinner,” really utilizing the strengths of the band. The guitar solo in “Portrait of a Dead Girl” feels like a payoff for the previous nine songs on the record. 

“Nothing Matters” is the only song that features profanity, which is another smart choice by the band. It gives weight to a word that is generally overused in the music world, plus the guitar solo absolutely rules.

The album ends with “Mirror,” which also feels out of place. After the heights in which the previous songs reach, it feels like there was more to give in this track. If it was featured earlier on in the album, maybe it would have fit in more.

Image from Raph_PH via Flickr