I first heard of The Last Dinner Party when they opened for Hozier on the European leg of his 2023 world tour. I was immediately enthralled by the band’s Shakespearean-inspired fashion and lead singer Abigail Morris’s infectious energy. Right off the bat, I could see the band had a strong sense of self and instantly became a fan. Before joining Hozier on tour, the quintet released their first single “Nothing Matters,” an upbeat love song with the full sound of the band. Its explicit and vulnerable nature tells the story of devotion. The song charted at number 8 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart this past September, and three months later, they were awarded the Rising Star Brit Award. Finally, the British indie rock band has released their debut album called Prelude to Ecstasy, a fun, Bowie-inspired storytelling experience that definitely lives up to the hype.

The opening track of the album doubles as the title track and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Prelude to Ecstasy” is reminiscent of an operatic overture, entirely instrumental with an orchestral sound that embodies the mid-18th-century aesthetic the band maintains. You can see the group's love for unique lyricism and poetic nature in songs like “Feminine Urge,” a mid-tempo, art pop song that discusses feminist themes and is inspired by the connection between mothers and daughters and the generational trauma shared by women. With lyrics like, “I am a dark red liver stretched out on the rocks / All the poison, I convert it and I turn it to love / Here comes the feminine urge, I know it so well / To nurture the wounds my mother held.” Inspired by an unreleased song by Lana Del Rey, Morris told Apple Music that she really wanted to write a song about her mother and the “mother wound.”

Some other standouts include “Beautiful Boy,” a ballad that uses the expression of femininity to discuss the jealousy women often feel about the ease by which a man can move through life. “The best a boy can ever be is pretty / He launches ships on which he sails to safety / And what I'm feeling isn't lust, it's envy /He has the Earth, makes love to her to spite me.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, Morris describes how the song came about. “It’s about a friend of mine, who is a very beautiful boy, and I remember I was talking to him once, and he was describing a holiday he had gone on on his own, where he just went off, hitchhiking around Spain. He lost his phone, had nothing — he was just relying on the kindness of strangers. Wherever he went, everyone adored him and took him in and gave him things, and it just made me think, ‘What’s it like to go around life being an exquisite man?’” She later goes on to talk about the added privilege that comes with not only being a man, but a beautiful one. They also included the track “Gjuha,” which translates to “language” in Albanian. It’s a song that dives into the relationship between oneself and their mother tongue. The vocals are sung by keyboardist Aurora Nischevi and the song truly reflects the guilt she feels about not knowing Albanian very well. Despite being one of the shortest songs on the track list, “Gjuha,” is definitely unforgettable.

The Last Dinner Party is unique in their aesthetic presentation and use of literary references in their music. Morris, Nischevi and other members of the band: Georgia Davies (bass), Lizzie Mayland (vocals, guitar) and Emily Roberts (lead guitarist), worked together to produce a coherent album that reflects the style of storytelling their band was built on. With songs like “Ceasar on a TV Screen,” it isn’t hard to see where they take inspiration from. The band’s music has been compared to Florence and the Machine, Kate Bush and Queen. While I emphasize their lyrical capabilities, the masterpiece that is their arrangement should not be taken for granted. The Last Dinner Party is set to headline their first North American tour this upcoming March, and I will absolutely be in attendance.

Prelude to Ecstasy: A Debut That Lives Up to Expectations