Bastille’s New Album Wild World Reviewed & Ranked

Track 16: “Oil On Water”, 2:58

What I love about “Oil On Water” is how the song is assembled.

It starts out with what sounds like a live recording. There are voices in the background, and a single piano playing a kind of haunting piece of music. The piano may be slightly out of tune, too, which speaks to the lyrics we’ll experience later in the song.

Then, we add the vocals and other instrumentals in the left speaker. They are still playing over the voices in the room. This creates a swirling kind of feel, and you’re not exactly sure what to focus on.

When the chorus hits, the voices of the band come together and it sweeps into the right speaker, immersing us in the full sound that we know and love from Bastille.

Watch out for the horns and violins around 1:36 during the bridge.

"“When they leave she sets about writing down Awkward body games all over town Warm affection runs through every word We’re screens away but we’re laughing with her”"

The song is bluesy without feeling stale and the story is slightly uncomfortable, but it makes me want to listen again and again. It’s one of the shortest tracks of the album, and because of the heavy nature of the lyrics, it makes it just long enough to satisfy me without being over-bearing.

Next: Way Beyond