Review | British Sea Power walk the line between cult act and stardom
The indie rock band have toned down the weirdness on this release, but this album is hardly a bid for commercial success
Let the Dancers Inherit the Party
Caroline
It’s almost eight years since Brighton’s British Sea Power played one of the most mesmerising gigs Hong Kong indie fans have ever seen. And just as they did that night at Grappa’s Cellar, the eccentric Mercury Prize-nominated rockers walk the line between cult act and pop stardom on Let the Dancers Inherit the Party, the follow-up to 2015’s experimental Sea of Brass. However, whereas the band’s unbridled ambition often leads them to flirt with pomposity, here the focus is more direct. British Sea Power’s unique, panoramic sound has always been textured and layered with grandiose choruses and lyrics dealing in the peculiar, and although they have toned down the weirdness, this album is hardly a bid for commercial success. Built around shimmering guitars and whispered vocals, International Space Station and lead single Bad Bohemian are arguably BSP’s finest blustery anthems to date. Not quite worthy of the full 21-gun salute, this party is nevertheless worth inheriting.
