---Ada Wofford
-------Released 17 January 2020 on mmm...Records
This is Bombay Bicycle Club’s first album in nearly six years. They had officially broken up years ago, I had officially mourned the loss of such a great band, we officially all thought it was over--But then in August of 2019, they released the single “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” and I officially freaked out. It was one of the first write-ups I did for this site and also one of my favorite tracks of 2019. Subsequent singles, “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong,” “Racing Stripes,” “I Can Hardly Speak,” and “Is It Real” followed over the ensuing months but none of them really hit me the way “Eat, Sleep…” did. Nevertheless, I woke up January 17th excited to finally hear the new Bombay Bicycle Club LP.
Sometimes, I feel that the anticipation I have for an album ruins it. I was never a huge, diehard fan of Bombay Bicycle Club but I really enjoyed their 2014 album, So Long, See You Tomorrow. Being the last thing they released before they split, I felt the band never reached their full potential. What’s difficult about reviewing this new album is that it neither soars to new heights nor does it fall below the standard they set with So Long. Instead, it just sort of reminds you—Hey! Bombay Bicycle Club is a cool band! And while that’s certainly not a failure, it’s not much of an artistic accomplishment either.
The main issue I have with this album is the lack of dynamics and idiosyncrasies between the tracks. The album starts off strong enough but it feels like nothing ever changes. And no, this doesn’t result in an album that is strong front-to-back; it results in an album that begins to stagnate by the third track. Because of this, “Eat, Sleep, Wake…” fails to stick out the way it did as a single way back in August, as it’s now buried in an album of similar sounding songs. The only track that seems to stick out in the context of the entire album is “People People” which features Liz Lawrence. The chorus has this intoxicating sway to it that not only breaks up the track but the entire album, differentiating itself from the constant tinny electronic drums and staccato vocals.
Despite its failings as an album, Everything Else honestly does not have a single bad song on it. Taken as individual tracks, each one is enjoyable and a few are downright terrific. But taken as a complete project, a full-length album, it’s repetitive and a bit tiresome. Either way, I encourage you to check it out for yourself. Especially the tracks, “Is It Real,” “Eat Sleep Wake (Nothing But You),” “Racing Stripes,” and my new favorite, “People People,” which you can listen to below.
As for their gear, well there is this terrific rundown on Drowned In Sound but it’s from 2014 and the band apparently sold all of their gear after they split up so, I don’t know what they used for this album.