By: Amelia-Rose Williams
Who is “The Last Dinner Party”? I’m glad you asked. The Last Dinner Party is a British alternative/indie rock band from the United Kingdom, formed in 2020. The group is composed of five members. Their lead vocalist is Abigail Morris, Georgia Davies is the bass vocalist, Emily Roberts plays guitar, mandolin, flute and does the backing vocals; she also composes and produces, Aurora Nishevci plays the keyboard & keytar; she also composes and conducts, and lastly, Lizzie Mayland who is also the lead guitarist, playing rhythm guitar, backing and helps with leading vocals.
“Prelude to Ecstasy” was the band’s debut album, released on February 2nd, 2024. The themes present within the album are gothic, medieval, punk, and feminine. With twelve songs in total making up the track list, and a listening time of forty-one minutes and eight seconds, “Prelude to Ecstasy” is hypnotically addictive to listen to. The album opens with the title song, a grand composition featuring an array of string instruments, flutes, guitars, and piano chords, which casts a spell on you instantly and draws you in.
Going over some of my favorite songs from the track list, we’re starting very strong with “Burn Alive”, which covers the topic of toxic and unhealthy relationships. It’s the idea that you know something is bad for you, you know things won’t ever change; it’s a continuous cycle of neglect and abuse, you don’t escape, and it eventually consumes you completely; it’s self-sabotage.
The fourth track on the album, “The Feminine Urge”, talks about the art of performance we have to display as women. Mocking and discussing the misogynistic ideology of control that men have over women in our society. “Oh ballerina, bend under the weight of it all”. Many lines stood out to me in this song; however, this one, referencing ballerinas and how they spend their time training so vigorously to put on physically demanding performances, stood out to me so much. “Do you feel like a man when I can’t talk back?”, this and the line that follows, “Do you want me or do you want control?” are so relevant right now, especially given the current “dating market”, so many women are tired of being objectified and seen as pawns on a board waiting for instructions on where to move, they want to decide their own fate.
The last line that stood out to me in this song was at the end of the chorus, where they say “To nurture the wounds that my mother held”, referencing how the cycle continues from mother to daughter; being aware that generation after generation of women still have to put up with this continuous cycle of misogyny. The sixth track, “Beautiful Boy”, stood out to me deeply. The hook is sort of witty, regurgitating the idea that the best a woman can ever be is beautiful. I often struggled growing up, with the idea that life would be easier if I were just a man. The reality of what it was like to be a woman became more and more prevalent to me, and so did my distaste for my femininity. I grew very resentful of being a woman until I went to college. “Beautiful Boy” covers the idea that “men have it easy”, they have all the power, and everything they want and more will come to them.
Concluding my favorite songs from the tracklist, “Nothing Matters”, track number eleven, which explores the cognitive awareness and embrace of one’s sexuality. In a lot of media, we see men embracing their romantic life and parading it around; it’s difficult for women to express that same connotation without being shamed and shunned for it. “Nothing Matters” explores the fantasies, passion, and awareness that the narrator has for being unapologetically themselves. What I like about this track is that it allows women to feel proud and confident in who they are, reimagining the idea that being confident in your sexuality is “rebellious” and “shameful”. No, it’s sexy, and you’re allowed to feel proud about it.
Overall, I’d say to really get the full experience, you just have to listen to it for yourselves. It explores really important and relevant topics in current media, one of the most recent topics being women’s thoughts on being in relationships. I’d like to conclude with a message: it’s important that as we continue to move in society, we don’t forget to advocate for the continuous progression of women’s rights in our society. There is still so much work that needs to be done; continue to inspire, create, and be authentically you.