Hello Reader,
Hope you’re well. Alex back with another album release. Full disclosure: We were not compensated for our thoughts; all thoughts are entirely my own.
Bombay Bicycle Club. I have no stories of live shows or listening to records to tell. I have heard of the band, and I remember hearing “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” when it came out and liking it. But I didn’t truly delve into their discography before listening to this album.
Formed in 2005 with three out of four current members, the London based band changed its name a few times before settling on its current one and the lineup was solidified with the inclusion of Ed Nash. The inspiration for the name, an Indian-cuisine chain restaurant at the time, reminds me of the great Memphis, Tennessee based band, Big Star and their own naming inspiration origins. The lineup of Jack Steadman (frontman, vocals, guitarist, pianist) Jamie MacColl (guitarist), Suren de Saram (drummer), and Ed Nash (bass guitarist) has been performing good music as Bombay Bicycle Club since 2006 with a three-year hiatus from January 2016 to January 2019 while Steadman and Nash were both creating solo works. Bombay Bicycle Club has put out five studio albums and four EPs for your listening pleasure. Studio albums titled, I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose (2009), Flaws (2010), A Different Kind of Fix (2011), So Long See You Tomorrow (2014) and Everything Else Has Gone Wrong (2020). Ah 2020, that fever dream, also saw the band release one of its four EPs, Two Lives EP.
Luckily 2023 is upon us and Bombay Bicycle Club is releasing more music in their sixth studio album, My Big Day on Friday October 20th. My Big Day was produced by vocalist and guitarist Jack Steadman at The Church Studios in North London and then back at the band’s own studio.
The band was wise to get invaluable contributions from legendary musician Damon Albarn, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and mixing engineer Jay Som, who’s created the acclaimed albums Turn Into (2016), Everybody Works (2017), and Anak Ko (2019), singer and songwriter Nilüfer Yanya, perhaps best known from her 2019 debut and criticially-acclaimed album Miss Universe, and singer, songwriter and 2022 Brit Award winner for Rising Star, Holly Humberstone who earlier this month released her debut studio album on Polydor Records, Paint My Bedroom Black. All of these artists add so much to the songs they’re a part of. The individual artists listed above have created wonderful music on their own, please go and listen to their solo work as well! In addition to those wonderful artists, a musical legend, Chaka Khan, The Queen of Funk, also drops by to collaborate in one song.
To hype you up before my review, here’s the band’s video of “Turn The World On”:
(all credits and rights to Bombay Bicycle Club)
Some more hype, here’s “Tekken 2”:
(all credits and rights to Bombay Bicycle Club and Chaka Khan)
And another video to hype you up. This song appears immediately after Tekken 2 on this album. Here’s “Diving”:
(all credits and rights to Bombay Bicycle Club)
All that being said, what a beautiful listening experience from start to finish overall. I think long time and new fans will fall in love with My Big Day during their first listen. And deeper in love with the album with more listens. My Big Day features stand out beats and warm melodies. Catchy refrains. Perfectly played and placed instrumentation from the band. Themes of love and reflection within the songs. The songs flowed from one to the next so damn well.
I don’t see a mediocre song on the entire album. Some of these songs will stick with me for awhile. The opener, “Just A Little More Time” drops in with a great melody and pace from the band. Vocals kick in and I’m bobbing my head, feeling amped up. The dance party is beginning. Great refrains just enhancing the mood as the opening song fades into the next song.
The second song, “I Want to Be Your Only Pet,” also features a warm melody in the first minute of the song that transforms into one hell of an earworm chant. If that earworm doesn’t stick with you, are you awake, listener? The third song, “Sleepless,” features another well done melody change with the uber talented Jay Som as our first non-Bombay Bicycle Club contributor to the album. She drops in early in the song and takes over the vocals. A song about longing for change. Soon after vocalist Jack Steadman joins in and their vocals create a perfect pairing as they trade off verses. Striking vocals throughout but the “I need to change” refrain is so catchy especially in her pitch.
The fourth song, the title song, “My Big Day,” has a great tempo change. It’s a song that I was more indifferent to at first listen, but it grew on me with a few listens. I see the appeal now. The fifth song, “Turn The World On,” is a beautiful keys-heavy jam. The melody, instrumentation, Steadman’s vocals and the themes of reflection and hindsight combine together to make an exceptional song. The next song, “Mediate,” cranks up the guitar and drum beat, and showcases singer Nilüfer Yanya vocals solo. She and Steadman’s vocals are paired impeccably.
The next song, “Rural Radio Predicts The Rapture,” is one hell of a title. One that makes me chuckle and smile. A good amount of instrumentation on this one, giving the non-vocalists a chance to shine. “Rural Radio Predicts The Rapture” has an extremely quick pace and that change of pace to the next song, the eighth on the album, “Heaven” is a nice transition. Steadman is the first vocalist establishing some of the lyrics before the incomparable Damon Albarn drops in. I like what Damon’s tone and range add to the song. Again, they pair so well with Steadman’s as the vocalists trade off verses. There’s great guitar and triumphant brass throughout the song.
Going from Damon Albarn to Chaka Khan, The Queen of Funk herself, is an incredible, welcomed album concept. The ninth song has a memory evoking title, “Tekken 2.” Mid-90s video game anyone? The song starts with a melody that reminds me of the ’80s with Steadman singing before Chaka Khan jumps in and delivers her catchy refrains. It becomes a partner in crime love song to me. I love the drums and bass that once again form a perfect baseline for the vocals. What a damn gem. The tenth song, “Diving,” opens strongly. Steadman and vocalist Holly Humberstone tightly pair their vocals on top of driving guitar and piano to create a song about a youthful relationship. The closing song, “Onward,” features Steadman in another great refrain over striking guitars and drums. Lyrically reflective in nature with positive musical notes, it seems a fitting way to end the album.
My Big Day gets 5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. To me, this is a fantastic album. I can’t recommend this album enough. Long time Bombay Bicycle Club fans, is this their best album so far? My Big Day would be good to listen to in any season and any year. Regardless of the format you listen on, this album will sound great. Check it out for yourself.
My Big Day Track list [time]
1. Just A Little More Time [3:22]
2. I Want to Be Your Only Pet [3:34]
3. Sleepless (feat. Jay Som) [4:06]
4. My Big Day [2:48]
5. Turn The World On [3:30]
6. Mediate (feat. Nilüfer Yanya) [5:24]
7. Rural Radio Predicts The Rapture [2:04]
8. Heaven (feat. Damon Albarn) [5:22]
9. Tekken 2 (feat. Chaka Khan) [3:50]
10. Diving (feat. Holly Humberstone) [3:36]
11. Onward [6:02]
Add it to your collection. My Big Day is available to pre-order, pre-save and order. Check out the band’s site to purchase in any format you can think of: https://bombaybicycle.club/
Thanks for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
