Bastille’s three-part extended edition of their critically acclaimed No. 1 album, Give Me The Future + Dreams Of The Past is out now. This new release features another album’s worth of new songs, collaborations, covers, and reprises.
With the original Give Me The Future album on part one, part two continues some of the themes and narratives from the record, delving into songs that are shot through with notions of technological dependence, human connection, and the limitless possibilities of life online.
Part three, meanwhile, acts as a mini return to the band’s acclaimed “Other People’s Heartache” Mixtape series, opening the four-piece up to collaborations, covers, and concept-free creativity.
“In releasing this version of the record, we wanted to give the complete picture of what we intended with this album and also explore the idea that you can choose your own adventure,” frontman Dan Smith says. “You can dive into the ideas of the future and an electronic world, or you can fall back into the past – away from technology and into ideas of memory and nostalgia – both thematically and musically. Or you can choose full-on dancefloor heartbreak escape.”
On announcing the release, the band revealed the electronic club banger “Revolution.” Taking inspiration from Quincy Jones’ production, the track had always been one of the core songs for Give Me The Future. The chorus is about the intimacy of human connection in the context of some science fiction, space-centered imagery. But it’s also about the idea of those amazingly thoughtful people who spend their lives trying to change the world in a positive way.
The last song on the record is the beautifully ethereal, “Hope For The Future,” a song which hints at where the band could sonically go next. Written for the soundtrack of the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced documentary From Devil’s Breath – a short film about forest fires, climate change, and tree planting. It centers around an acoustic guitar melody and Smith’s layered vocals.
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“I was thinking about Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver and all the acoustic artists who manage to write music that is both orchestral and floaty, but also a grounded in some grit,” he says. “It was very much at odds with all of the synthesizers, drum machines, and electronic instruments and the production that we were using for Give Me The Future, but I feel super proud of it.”
Their fourth album, the masterful Give Me The Future, was hailed by many critics as their best release to date, with The Fader describing it as “a grand collection of sci-fi inspired songs attempting to make sense of the world’s fast-moving venture into dystopia.”
NME said: “The result is the most expansive, yet cohesive record Bastille have put their name to,” adding that the band may have “created a perfect soundtrack to life after lockdown.” The Independent, meanwhile, declared: “When confined within Bastille’s catchy hooks and imaginative, era-spanning production, what lies ahead suddenly isn’t so terrible. The future is bright – for 30 minutes’ worth of bops, at least.”
Since the release of the record, Bastille have created an immersive experience at their sold-out gigs, bringing the themes of the album to life in arenas across the UK and on a tour of North America. At this year’s Glastonbury Festival, such was the demand to witness their secret set the festival organizers had to cordon off the surrounding area at the 1,000-capacity William’s Green tent as festivalgoers tried to descend in the masses to catch a glimpse of their secret performance.
Following on from playing festivals such as Boardmasters, Sziget, and Reading & Leeds this weekend, they’ll take the “Give Me The Future” tour to South America, stopping in Argentina and Brazil, before continuing an enthralling trek across Europe.
