The Last Dinner Party weave stories ‘From The Pyre’ — Album Review

Recommended tracks: “Second Best,” “Woman Is A Tree,” “This Is The Killer Speaking”
Similar artists: Wolf Alice, Wet Leg, The Beaches

Having won the 2024 BRIT for Breakthrough Artist, there were a lot of questions on what London-based band The Last Dinner Party would do next.

Their latest album From The Pyre sees the 5-piece become much more comfortable in their artistry, with their sound and aesthetics becoming more consistent and clear to anyone listening. While many made comparisons to Florence + The Machine and Hozier during their debut, this new release spotlights The Last Dinner Party’s individual songwriting while pivoting into a distinct and recognisable sound.

This shift in sound is highlighted almost immediately with the sharp guitar melody in “Agnus Dei.” While their debut was already rich in religious idioms and symbolism, the comparison of the band to the “lamb of god” shows the more dramatic imagery and lyricism of From The Pyre. The longest song of the album, lines such as “here comes the apocalypse and I can’t get enough of it” signal the more chaotic aesthetic of From The Pyre, filled with intricate stories and elaborate instrumentation.

A slightly fuzzed but rich guitar with a gritty melodic riff in “Count The Ways” gives a more ’70s rock style as the band tells the tale of a toxic obsession. In the pre-chorus, the borderline masochistic “You break into my house / I will break into your house” highlights the harmful ideas of love that have overtaken the lead character. This skewed ideal is further emphasised by the bridge’s “I love the way I can’t escape the pain.”

Obsessive nature is a recurring idea on this album, with many songs featuring protagonists with feverish personalities. While this does make for compelling music, when listening to the album as a whole, it can get a bit too repetitive, especially in the first half.

“Second Best” was already well known to fans before it was released, having been performed live during the band’s 2024 headlining tour. Starting with a choir-like chant, the strong piano cross fades into Emily Roberts’ guitar riff. A definitive highlight of the album, the chorus’s “ain’t it nice, second best” has an addictive melody that sticks in your mind long after the song finishes. The keys lead the descent to a signature chaotic final third of the song as the band continues to chant the chorus.

The first single of the album, “This Is The Killer Speaking,” is fourth on the tracklist and has a distinctive Western edge to it. Inspired by the Western films of the ’60s and ’70s, the song feels like the soundtrack of a shootout. The lyrics tell the story of a woman’s zealous crime spree. Each verse is intricate in its lyricism, painting a vivid picture without explicitly telling you the crime being committed. Pop legends Sparks are clearly a point of reference for The Last Dinner Party, with the song’s theatrical storytelling reminiscent of the US duo’s work.

Each song in the first half of the album has followed the same three-act structure, but “Rifle” has a more traditional pop setup with a slower pace and shift in energy. Rather than the electric guitar, an organ takes up most of the instrumental focus — a nice change that doesn’t stray from the band’s musical aesthetic. While most of the previous songs create a detached spectacle of violence, “Rifle” makes a point to highlight the lack of compassion that comes with violence. The connotations of “red” are graphic, with the comparison between hunting deer and violence towards women being made clear in the chorus’s “does it fee good? Spilling blood?”

In the second half of the album, there’s a switch in perspectives with songs following emotions and sentiments over story. The study on gender roles continues in “Woman Is A Tree,” in which the band’s vocalisation in the introduction and bridge feel like a witch’s chant. The analogy of women being trees that a forest feeds off of is emphasised by men being described as different birds throughout the song. This metaphor is creative and imaginative, making “Woman Is A Tree” a song that best encapsulates the band’s branding.

“I Hold Your Anger” is yet another song that focuses on piano rather than guitar as the band becomes the bearers of everyone else’s emotions. The higher harmonies in the chorus give a sharper edge against the weight of the piano and bass. Lyrically, the song is a mid-point between the band’s debut and latest album, with creative imagery being balanced with a larger-than-life, almost mythical vibe with lines such as “Stuck in the middle, staring at my grave.”

The piano continues into the ballad “Sail Away,” the song most grounded in reality on this album. The tonality and emotion poured into the piano performance by keyboardist Aurora Nishevci takes the spotlight for this song as lyrics on materialism and holding onto the past linger. Wanting to keep a love that has long since changed is an interesting subject to sing about, and the focus on the heartbreak is overly tragic. Lines such as “You want the world / I’d give it to you / Just don’t smoke into your room” show a love that someone wishfully wants to preserve, but is constantly hit with the reality that the person has changed. Still, a desperate hope sticks in the chorus as the band wants to “sail away” with their love.

The last single from the album is, lyrically, the most emotional, with grief being the centrepiece of “The Scythe.” The guitar solo and focus on organs make this song the most reminiscent of The Last Dinner Party’s 2024 album Prelude To Ecstasy, but the lyrics are much more mature. In the pre-chorus, the line “Nothing lasts, I know I’ve seen the scythe in its sheath” shows someone well accustomed to the notions of grief and death. However, there is still hope in the chorus’s “Don’t cry, we’re bound together / Each life runs its course.”

Finishing off From The Pyre is the steadily upbeat “Inferno.” For a band that has attached a large mythology to itself, having a song about identity is a great way to finish off. The admission that “I never know myself” shows how the fantastical elements of this album are still drawn into some grounded emotions. While definitely not the strongest song on the album, “Inferno” leaves listeners with a hint of what’s to come from the London band.

From The Pyre emphasises the growth of The Last Dinner Party as artists and performers. The dramatic instrumentation, stories and mythos that enwrap the album show how the band have come into their own, and highlight a group that is now sure about who they are.