The Last Dinner Party's 'Prelude to Ecstasy' Is a Portrait of Fierce Femininity and Art-Rock Genius
Photo: Cal McIntyre
The Last Dinner Party is the future of femme fatale, blending '70s art-rock influences with gritty sophistication. The British five-piece consists of Abigail Morris, Lizzie Mayland, Emily Roberts, Georgia Davies, and Aurora Nishevci. Their debut album, Prelude to Ecstasy, is undeniably singular, born from The Last Dinner Party’s unrestrained marriage of musical influences, societal inspirations, and boundary-less style.
Zooming out, the album feels like a Tumblr-era soundtrack to an ornate period piece – draping all the bronzes and golds of Victorian sensibilities over a moody palette of 2010s alternative and nostalgic 70s sounds.
Prelude to Ecstasy opens with a title track that is exactly as it says, an orchestral overture coasting through waves of crashing cymbals and string motifs. The Last Dinner Party invites us into their world with a cinematic beckon, building us up for the experience to come.
There’s of course the breakout hit, “Nothing Matters,” but the standout single for me is “My Lady of Mercy,” which throws hesitancy to the flame and embraces a classic rock guitar and Morris’ arguably peak vocal performance. This song feels most representative of the band’s uniquely pristine finish of grit that darkens the edge of their sound, marrying raunchiness and grace.
“Burn Alive” gets back into a pop format, with retro elements in the synth keys and ABBA-esque theatrics. The Last Dinner Party is always sure to round out its bright melodrama with a sense of daring, inserting a whispered, feedback-heavy bridge amid this wide vocal landscape. “Sinner” is similar, embracing a sonic juxtaposition to narrowly skirt campiness and land instead at elegance. The rhythmic piano, close harmonies, and flashy guitar riff make this song feel like the climax of the movie, a sort of “so wrong that it’s right” sense of carefree.
“Beautiful Boy” carries a share of contextual weight for both this album and the artistic direction of The Last Dinner Party. It unfolds a reflective narrative that a wide range of listeners can find meaning in, waltzing through questions of identity and gender envy while also pondering the ever-shifting power dynamic of femininity and masculinity in society. The lyrics are concise but potent, “The power of my hips is useless in the dark / What good are red lips when you’re faced with something sharp?” Written and performed by an all-female group, this sentiment holds even more weight, as there’s a kinship for non-male listeners, a sense of community in the poignancy. Mid-album interlude, “Gjuha,” reveals a lot about the band’s vision, too, which is an Albanian aria written about keyboardist and vocalist Aurora Nishevci’s dual-roots in London and Kosovo.
With recent performances on the The Late Show, Apple Music Sessions, World Cafe, and The Graham Norton Show, as well as being BBC Radio 1’s pick for the Sound of 2024 and one of our top 25 artists to watch in 2024, The Last Dinner Party is making waves in music. There’s no denying the way the internet is embracing the band’s baroque-meets-runway style and fresh sound, and the group subtly plays into this in Prelude to Ecstasy. The track, “The Feminine Urge” references a typically humorous topic of internet conversation, but expands on it earnestly, exploring the weights of womanhood. Spinning this trend points to a self-awareness within The Last Dinner Party, both of their growing relevance to pop culture and the figures they’re becoming for young women as a result.
Prelude to Ecstasy ends with “Mirror,” closing out the album the way a James Bond movie ends, with a lingering sense of wonder, mystique, and allure. The Last Dinner Party is a spectacle of fierce femininity and art-rock genius, surrendering status quo pop boundaries with this impressive debut. I’d say they’re one to watch, but I think all eyes are already bound to be on this group.
Listen to Prelude to Ecstasy below:
