Review: Belle and Sebastian are Back!
Belle and Sebastian album cover. Source: belleandsebastian.com
Back in the day, when I was discovering new music, going through my brother’s old mix cds, I remember thinking that Belle and Sebastian were a duo and not a band. I also thought that Belle and Sebastian were deeply in love and that was why they were writing all these songs.
For those who are still unaware like I was back in the 2000s, Belle and Sebastian is a band, from Glasgow Scotland, led by Stuart Murdoch. Since 1996, they have released quite a few records, Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance being their 9th album. It has been five years since the release of their last album in 2010, Belle and Sebastian Write About Love, so this is a highly anticipated record.
Even though Belle and Sebastian’s sound falls under the indie pop category, I feel like Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance, is their most pop album to date! A lot of synth and those favourite pop beats are present.
The album’s title, Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance, definitely corresponds with the general feel of this record: you really just want to dance when you listen to it. There are several references to dancing in the lyrics of the songs like in The Everlasting Muse and The Party Line.
Nobody’s Empire is the first track of the album. I think it was a very fitting choice because this song is very reminiscent of their earlier folk-pop sound. It kind of sounds like the Belle and Sebastian from the ’90s but you can also hear in the chorus of the song that this album is going to be a bit different than their previous records. As the songs progress on the album, their sound slowly transforms into something new. It’s almost as you are able to witness their sound transformation and evolution just by listening to this album.
Belle and Sebastian album cover
My favourite song from this album is definitely Enter Sylvia Plath. I think it’s the most upbeat song from the album and it is seriously catchy. How often do you hear an upbeat song about Sylvia Plath?
All and all, I’m really happy Belle and Sebastian got together to release this new record. 10/10
Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance is released on January 20th!
