Prelude to Ecstasy (album)

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Prelude to Ecstasy
Studio Album by The Last Dinner Party
Released	February 2, 2024
Recorded	2022-2023
Genre	Indie pop • baroque pop • orchestral rock
Tracks	12
Length	41:09
Label	Island Records
Producer(s)	James Ford
Singles
"Nothing Matters" Released April 19, 2023 "Sinner" Released June 30, 2023 "My Lady of Mercy Released October 9, 2023 "On Your Side" Released November 1, 2023 "Caesar on a TV Screen" Released January 4, 2024
Album Chronology
Current	Prelude to Ecstasy
Next →	Second studio album

Prelude to Ecstasy is the debut album by The Last Dinner Party, released February 2, 2024 through Island Records.

“Ecstasy takes many forms.
It is to lie down in the mouth of a lily.

It is to wake, pulsing and sweating

Mid night

In need of a pen.

Or figs, wasp-struck

Swollen on the counter.

Wreathed in the arms of sisters it appears,

Palms raised to clasp at the sky.

It is the blood throbbing behind your eyes

That keeps you awake.

That means even when you have everything
you could ever want

You keep wanting.

It is the delicious burden
Of knowing what is in your flesh,

In your marrow.

You hear it faint beneath
 the still river of skin

Just loud enough

To make you harrow inside

With a long-tipped spoon

To scoop out the music

Until you are hollow as a bird.

I’d give my kingdom

So that you might always know it

On the cusp of your lips

On your bedside table

Forever in your hands.”

―The Last Dinner Party in the album announcement

Background

After persevering through the difficulties of rehearsing together through the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, the band emerged into the live scene as The Dinner Party in 2021. Their live performances started attracting buzz as rumors spread about an exciting emerging new band, and after their fourth ever performance was posted to YouTube by Lou Smith, the band quickly captured the attention of industry professionals.

Q Prime’s Tara Richardson had heard about The Last Dinner Party through an audio engineer that worked with the band in the studio and after receiving four “very impressive” demos, she saw the band perform live in early 2022, and almost immediately, she signed the act to the management firm. And by May, the group had scored a record deal with Island Records.

After a long time of having no songs out on streaming services, by the beginning of 2023, with a team in place, they started to prepare to release their first single.

“We built a reputation around the London live circuit and had a bit of buzz around our first release,” says Davies. “This wasn’t a dress rehearsal.” Adds Morris: “You only get one debut.”

―Georgia Davies and Abigail Morris in an interview with Billboard

Soon after the release of their debut single, many started to ask about their debut album. The band was unsure of how much they could say about it at the time, but they did assure everyone that "It’s coming, you know, it’s alive."

The band had teased the release of their album in interviews, and on October 31, 2023 they teased a "very big and very exciting announcement" to come out along with their fourth single, On Your Side, on November 1, 2023. The album was officially announced on the bands discord server, with the release date being February 2, 2024.

Production

The band had been forming the songs of the album for years, playing their songs live they really felt informed the way the album became, and that it wouldn’t be the way it is now if they hadn’t been playing live for so long. They started out by testing their material in pubs and small venues around London.

“In the age of TikTok, people thought unless you have a song go viral, there’s no way of generating a following, Ours just felt like a more natural thing. We had much more of a jumping off point from playing shows to seven people who don’t give a f–k to [then] playing much larger shows.”

―Abigail Morris in an interview with Billboard

They described the album as one they wanted to hear as teenagers, with Emily describing it as euphoric, happy and sad at the same time.

The album was recorded in Church Studios in Crouch Hill with producer James Ford, who the band says really understood them in a way that no one else has musically, and was finished the first week of January 2023.

Description

Describing the album on their online store they say:

“Prelude to Ecstasy is a pendulum which swings between the extremes of human emotion, from the ecstasy of passion to the sublimity of pain, and it is this concept which binds our album together. This is an archeology of ourselves; you can exhume our collective and individual experiences and influences from within its fabric. We exorcised guitars for their solos, laid bare confessions directly from diary pages, and summoned an orchestra to bring our vision to life. It is our greatest honour and pride to present this offering to the world, it is everything we are.”

―Website description

The description of the album when buying the physical formats from somewhere else is:

“The debut album from The Last Dinner Party. Yes, there are corsets, there is lace and velvet, stockings, suspenders and synchronised clapping, but at the core of this band there are luscious world-building pop songs that sound as big as a universe and encompass the universality of human emotion. Fittingly recorded in a converted church with the help of star producer James Ford in North London, Prelude To Ecstasy is both the closing of an introductory chapter and the opening of the next. The Last Dinner Party? Believe the hype.”

―Album description

Awards and Nominations

Prelude to Ecstasy was submitted for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album for the 2024 Grammy Awards.

Promotion

Their song "Nothing Matters" was played for the first time on Radio 6 on July 7, 2023, where they also performed their fourth single "On Your Side". On September 30, 2023, it was announced that their single "Nothing Matters" would be a part of EA Sports' official FC Soundtrack.

"My Lady of Mercy" was played for the first time on BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds with Clara Amfo on October 9, 2023. The band made their first TV appearance on Later… with Jools Holland on October 22, 2023, where they preformed their debut single "Nothing Matters" and third single "My Lady of Mercy".

The band performed their single "Nothing Matters" at a private show on November 9, 2023 at 93 XRT Radio Station on the Chicago stop of their US Tour. They also performed their singles "Nothing Matters", "My Lady of Mercy" & "On Your Side" as well as "Caesar on a TV Screen" in a Secret Session with FM102/1 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin at Interstate Music on November 10, 2023, and on the same day their live session performances of their two singles "Nothing Matters" and "My Lady of Mercy" was released as part of VEVOs "DSCVR Artists to Watch '24" campaign.

On November 28, 2023, The Last Dinner Party performed their singles "Nothing Matters", "My Lady of Mercy" and "On Your Side" interpolated with Pixies' "Where Is My Mind" in a live session with BBC Radio 1's Future Artists, and one day after, on the 27^th, their Apple Music Session was released, where they performed their two singles "Nothing Matters" and "On Your Side" as well as a cover of Sinéad O’Connor's song "Mandinka".

The day before the release of the album, on February 1, 2024, the band hosted an intimate variety show at the Roundhouse, where they played the entire album alongside an orchestra.

On November 21, 2023, The Last Dinner Party announced that in celebration of their album, from February 2 to February 11 they would be travelling to record stores in the UK where they will sign stuff for fans as well as sing songs in intimate venues.

Artwork

The Last Dinner Party revealed the cover of their album via all of their socials on November 1, 2023. The cover was shot by Cal McIntyre at The George tavern, the same venue the band played their first show at, and it depicts their maximalism M.O. with everything from flowers to candles, mirrors, small statues and rosaries laying stacked on each other on a fireplace, with a portrait of the band hanging framed above it all on an empty wall.

The artwork of the Acoustics and Covers version was inspired by what people's bedrooms would look like if they were fans of The Last Dinner Party and Sofia Coppola.

Standard artwork

Back cover

Acoustics and Covers artwork

Singles

❦ The band officially announced their debut single "Nothing Matters" to be released on April 19, 2023, with a music video being released the same day. It was received well by critics and fans, and described as "art-rock bombast" by Rolling Stone UK.

❦ They released their second single "Sinner" on June 30, 2023, alongside a live performance video directed by Balan Evans and the band themselves. They described "Sinner" as the most similar sonically to "Nothing Matters" on the album.

❦ "My Lady of Mercy" was released October 9, 2023 as their third single, the song came with an accompanying video that was directed by the band alongside Harv Frost and Dora Paphides.  

❦ "On Your Side" was released as the fourth single from the album on November 1, 2023, alongside a music video directed by Cal McIntyre.

❦ On January 4, 2024, "Caesar on a TV Screen" was released as the fifth and final single from the album alongside a music video directed by Harv Frost.

"Nothing Matters"

"Sinner"

"My Lady of Mercy"

"On Your Side"

"Caesar on a TV Screen"

Prelude to Ecstasy The Film

Main article: Prelude to Ecstasy (film)

In August 2024, the group announced the release of their film, Prelude to Ecstasy – A Short Film By The Last Dinner Party, which will be released on 12 September 2024. The film was directed by Harv Frost. Fans can register for tickets to the film's premiere in Soho, London where they will view the film along with the band. The film will also be released on YouTube that same day.

Critical reception

Prelude to Ecstasy received a score of 88 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 12 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Uncut described it as "a rich saturnine, baroque-pop set full of romantic drama. Strings, piano and keyboard combine with muti-textured guitar in songs that, though engaging, tend toward the florid". John Earls of Record Collector wrote that "Prelude to Ecstasy inhabits its own world as magnificently as The Lexicon of Love or Dog Man Star in marrying its grandiose aims with massive tunes. [...] There's not a weak moment in these 11 songs."

Sophie Williams of NME found the album to have "a melodic confidence throughout that's a rare find in a debut. The Last Dinner Party may have some reverence for their art-rock forebears (think: early Julia Holter or St Vincent), but also enough self-belief and magnetism to set them apart from what's come before", summarising it as "fantastic songs that are easy to embrace and return to". Reviewing the album for MusicOMH, David Murphy stated that the sound is "varied but invariably bold, gesturing camply towards a raft of classic pop styles" and that "the band always sound cohesive, not just a list of educated nods, the music impeccably arranged and with true depth to the writing".

DIY’s Lisa Wright stated that Prelude to Ecstasy is "proof in an age of algorithms that a completely singular band can beat them all and come out on top without diminishing a shred of their vision". Ellie Robertson of The Skinny concluded that, "Whether you call it glam, goth, or grotesque, these writers are resurrecting a long lost art in popular music – using big sounds, with indulgent lyrics, crafting a listening experience so rich it borders on hedonism."

Rolling Stone’s David Browne opined that "there's no denying the way their blowsy, unrestrained songs knock you upside and down and leave you with a dizzying high", calling the "combined mood [...] very post-lockdown". Sophia McDonald of The Line of Best Fit felt that "with classical references and themes of lust, revenge, and sorrow, this debut could be the soundtrack to a modern Shakespeare tragedy".

Tracklist

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producers	Length
1.	Prelude to Ecstasy	Abigail Morris, Georgia Davies, Aurora Nishevci, Emily Roberts, Lizzie Mayland	James Ford	1:36
2.	Burn Alive	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Rhys Downing	Ford	3:21
3.	Caesar on a TV Screen	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	3:50
4.	The Feminine Urge	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	3:26
5.	On Your Side	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	4:27
6.	Beautiful Boy	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland	Ford	3:47
7.	Gjuha	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland	Ford	1:29
8.	Sinner	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	2:56
9.	My Lady of Mercy	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	2:55
10.	Portrait of a Dead Girl	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	4:57
11.	Nothing Matters	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	3:02
12.	Mirror	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland	Ford	5:24

Acoustics and Covers

On August 28, 2024, the band announced that they would release a version of their debut album, Prelude to Ecstasy, that would contain acoustic versions and some of their favourite covers.

Tracklist

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producers	Length
1.	Prelude to Ecstasy	Abigail Morris, Georgia Davies, Aurora Nishevci, Emily Roberts, Lizzie Mayland	James Ford	1:36
2.	Burn Alive	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Rhys Downing	Ford	3:21
3.	Caesar on a TV Screen	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	3:50
4.	The Feminine Urge	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	3:26
5.	On Your Side	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	4:27
6.	Beautiful Boy	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland	Ford	3:47
7.	Gjuha	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland	Ford	1:29
8.	Sinner	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	2:56
9.	My Lady of Mercy	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	2:55
10.	Portrait of a Dead Girl	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	4:57
11.	Nothing Matters	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland, Downing	Ford	3:02
12.	Mirror	Morris, Davies, Nishevci, Roberts, Mayland	Ford	5:24
13.	Caesar on a TV Screen (Acoustic)
14.	Sinner (Acoustic)
15.	My Lady of Mercy (Acoustic)
16.	Nothing Matters (Acoustic from Studio Brussel)
17.	Mirror (Acoustic from The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds)
18.	This town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us	Ron Mael	Dan Roberts	3:11
19.	Up North (Live from Hebden Trades Club)
20.	Wicked Game (Live from Showbox Sodo, Seattle)
21.	Army Dreamers (Live from Studio Brussel)

Amazon Music:

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producers	Length
22.	On Your Side x Where Is My Mind

Personnel

The Last Dinner Party

• Georgia Davies – bass guitar (all tracks), additional vocals (tracks 1, 4, 6–11)
• Lizzie Mayland – additional vocals (all tracks), guitar (tracks 1–6, 8–12), flute (3, 6)
• Abigail Morris – lead vocals (all tracks), additional vocals (track 7)
• Aurora Nishevci – additional vocals (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8–11), organ (1, 3–5, 7–12), piano (1–6, 8–12), synthesizer (1–5, 8–12), conductor (2–4, 10, 12), string arrangement (11)
• Emily Roberts – guitar (all tracks), additional vocals (tracks 1, 4, 6, 8–11), flute (3, 6), mandolin (7)

Additional musicians

• Alex Marshall – cello (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Midori Jaeger – cello (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Sam Becker – double bass (tracks 1–4, 12)
• Jenny Ames – viola (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Richard Jones – viola (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Zami Jalil – viola (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Aleksandra Masurova – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Chihiro Ono – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Emma Smith – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Freya Goldmark – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Lucy Wilkins – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Paloma Deike – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Phil Granell – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Rosie Tompsett – violin (tracks 1–4, 10, 12)
• Pasha Mansurov – flute (tracks 1–3, 6, 12)
• Elsa Bradley – timpani (tracks 1–3), tubular bells (1, 5)
• Serafina Steer – harp (tracks 1, 3, 5, 11)
• Alistair Goodwin – bass trombone (tracks 1, 3, 8, 11, 12)
• Robyn Blair – French horn (tracks 1, 3, 8, 11, 12)
• Bradley Jones – trumpet (tracks 1, 3, 8, 11, 12)
• Lucy Humphris – trumpet (tracks 1, 3, 8, 11, 12)
• Chris Brewster – trombone (tracks 1, 3, 8)
• Ashley Myall – bassoon (tracks 1, 12)
• Rocío Bolaños – clarinet (tracks 1, 12)
• Philip Howarth – oboe (tracks 1, 12)
• James Ford – drums (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 10)
• Rebekah Rayner – drums (track 3)

Technical

• James Ford – production
• Chris Gehringer – mastering
• Alan Moulder – mixing
• Jimmy Robertson – engineering