‘The Scythe’: An anthem worthy of The Last Dinner Party
When The Last Dinner Party finally released their long-awaited debut single back in April 2023, the decision was made by the band or someone on their their team to launch with ‘Nothing Matters’, a huge and instantly hooking indie-pop tune. It worked. Immediately, people were listening.
But as more and more work was revealed from the band, that opening track began to feel like an anomaly. Against tracks like ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’ or ‘My Lady Of Mercy’, ‘Nothing Matters’ can end up feeling placid, even dumb, in comparison to the nuance and references to be found elsewhere. By the time Prelude To Ecstasy was released in full, the band’s quote-unquote anthem no longer felt reflective of them, but instead felt like the token obvious pop song built to appeal to the masses and stuck on the end of an album built to show their creativity and inventiveness.
On their second go around, that has not happened. Cynically, perhaps it’s just proof of the trust you’re afforded when you’ve proven yourself valuable to the label bankrolling a new risk. But in a more optimistic reading, the tasters we’ve had of their sophomore album, From The Pyre, so far, speak to a band refusing to falter on their vision.
‘This Is The Killer Speaking’ delivered a fun fix that’s sure to go off live with a big sing-along-ready chorus. It’s a perfect balance between a ‘Nothing Matters’ style energy-booster, and their kookier storytelling tracks.
This new offering, though, feels like the sort of song that should have launched them in the first place. This feels like the sort of song to boost a band to greatness as on ‘The Scythe’, the group prove their anthemic abilities in a way completely and utterly true to themselves.
A unique sort of love song far more in-keeping with the band’s ever-cinematic vision, Morris brings in the goosebumps as she emotionally sings, “Make it quick, make it quick / Make it quick so I can’t see the scythe in its sheath,” begging for an easy and painless end. But then, as the chorus kicks in, the goosebumps are sparked even higher with pure classic rock euphoria.
“Don’t cry, we’re bound together / Each life runs its course,” is the kind of lyric that would have made a star back in the day, and deserves to make a star today with Morris’ powerful vocal delivery and the band’s all-out sonics. By the time Emily Roberts is delivering a huge guitar solo for the ages in the final third, this is simply another moment where the power and potential of The Last Dinner Party is as undeniable as it has always been.
It does it all. Morris delivers a lead vocal merging Kate Bush’s uniqueness with the confidence of any great rock frontman. The band weaves between being an indie unit to get bodies moving and a classic rock troupe to provide a solid and timeless foundation. The lyrics dance between suiting the band’s clear aesthetic and still being wide open enough to be adopted by the masses.
This is a song for the radio, but as the violins flare in the last second, it still holds The Last Dinner Party’s niche and vision utterly sacred.
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