Bombay Bicycle Club cycles into indie-rock circuit with new album

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Bombay Bicycle Club performs at Nottingham University in the United Kingdom, Feb. 9, 2010.

Sometimes I listen to an album and am completely oblivious of everything going on around me. I feel like everything has melted away, I am in some sort of musical nirvana and it’s just me sitting under a tree floating in a bubble in a galaxy with stars surrounding me everywhere I look.

Lately, this music happens to be Bombay Bicycle Club’s newest album, “So Long, See You Tomorrow.” Released earlier this month, it is the London group’s fourth and most euphoric album yet.

Ironically, it opens with the song entitled “Overdone” as a sort of tease to how the rest of the record will flow. The song itself doesn’t fit its title; however, it speaks volumes about the album as a whole.

The way BBC has evolved over the years is expected for an indie-rock band in this era. Nowadays, it’s all about the synth, and that is extremely evident in this work. 

Jack Steadman’s already dreamy vocals paired with layers of synth and a steady pulse makes for an unforgettable 44-minute experience you will want to repeat constantly.

As I literally walk along through the 10 tracks that make up this gorgeous record, I find myself getting drowned in three songs with no desire to come up for air.

“It’s Alright Now” will not leave my head. This track and “Eyes Off You” are two that I want my next lover to play for me again and again. BBC is the best at capturing your attention and your infatuation with the sometimes vague but still quite specific lyrics.

That is the source of their ingenuity. They are straightforward with their lyrics, but at the same time, you could interpret them in a number of ways, which is why they are so personable: everyone can relate.

When you get to “Feel,” at first you’ll think it was featured in Wes Anderson’s “The Darjeeling Limited,” but it totally works. If any other group tried to experiment with genre-bending and overloading of Pro Tools, I would look the other way. However, Bombay Bicycle Club knows what they are doing and it works.

The third song that won me over is the tenth and last track, bearing the same title as the album. “So Long, See You Tomorrow” starts off quietly, then slowly come the drums and at about 3:30, the “ooh’s” pick up and the tune in the background is reminiscent of “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep” off of their 2011 album “A Different Kind of Fix.” The way engineer Mark Rankin (who worked on the recent Queens of the Stone Age) and Steadman mix the last track is the absolute perfect way to end the album. It leaves you craving, yearning for more.

The thing about BBC is the feeling they leave you with after each one of their songs. And even they know that, which is why they repeat the lyrics “just one feeling” in “Feel.”

I thought I loved Bombay Bicycle Club after their previous album, and especially after seeing the band live. Now, this record has caused me to be utterly enchanted with them.

I have already introduced at least four people to the band with this album and they have yet to take it off of repeat. I dare you to give it a try.