When the single “Nothing Matters” debuted, an immediate backlash followed The Last Dinner Party with claims that they were industry plants with an inorganic push and nepo babies who didn’t earn the immediate fame and praise they were receiving. This, of course, was untrue as they had previously been performing at gigs for several months prior and had formed as a group back in 2019. This complaint would also have a lot more weight to it if this album wasn’t fantastic. Alas, to the chagrin of naysayers, Prelude to Ecstasy is not only brilliant but also one of the best albums of the decade.

The opening track of the same name, “Prelude to Ecstasy”, is an orchestral piece that perfectly establishes the tone of the rest of the album with a slow build before exploding with a bombastic crescendo. In just one track, The Last Dinner Party immediately establishes their tone and their distinct place in the music landscape, and I for one was completely here for it. The album has wall-to-wall excellent tracks, but the two I would most like to discuss are “Burn Alive” and “Nothing Matters”.

“Burn Alive” was the track that I immediately connected with on an initial listen through. There are songs that I fall in love with just a few notes in. “Burn Alive” is one such song. Its initial notes instantly sucked me in while its initial drum beats work in a beautiful contrast, with neither quite overpowering the other. The song slowly builds towards this remarkably strong chorus with beautifully poignant lines like “Let me make my grief a commodity, Do what I can do to survive”. There is something almost so painfully raw and relatable about this track. There is also a quote from lead vocalist, Abigail Morris, that I sincerely related to:

“It was the idea of, ‘Let me make my grief a commodity’ - this kind of slightly sarcastic ‘I’m going to put my heart on the line and all my pain and everything for a buck.’ The idea of being ecstatic by being burned alive - by your pain and by your art and by your inspiration - in a kind of holy-fire way. What we’re here to do is be fully alive and committed to exorcising any demons, pain or joy.”

Meanwhile, “Nothing Matters” was the first single for the band, and it is clear why it was chosen. It’s both surprising and refreshing to hear a song that is unabashedly open about sex and relationships. As opposed to “Burn Alive”, this song starts off with a much softer bassline that immediately sets it apart from the rest of the tracks with more instruments starting to come in during the opening lyrics before building up to and exploding in a truly bombastic chorus. This song has excellent lyrics throughout from the chorus with lines such as “And you can hold me, Like he held her, And I will fuck you, Like nothing matters” to other more subtly great lyrics such as “One more and we’re away, Love tender in your Chevrolet”. This song, like the album as a whole, is brutally, emotionally, and refreshingly raw. 

Believe me, I could wax lyrical about the rest of the tracks for days, but “Nothing Matters'' and “Burn Alive” are the two clear standouts. However, I do want to quickly shout out “Caesar on a TV Screen” as it’s probably my third favourite track on the album. This song is far more upbeat than most of the album, creating a real head bopping feel. 

There is a real air of confidence to this album that is so rarely seen with debuts. The Last Dinner Party feel assured in their abilities and what they are setting out to achieve with this album. Their tone and vibe already feel so fine-tuned that I could believe they’ve been doing this for 10 years. The grandiose nature to the album provides such a unique listening experience that is not nearly as common as it really should be in albums. If this debut is anything to go by, The Last Dinner Party could become one of my all-time favourite bands. This album has set a high benchmark that will be hard to top for me this year. 

8.5/10