Bastille Share More New Stories in “&” (Ampersand), Part Four (Review)
Previously, I named ‘“&” (Ampersand)‘ one of my top album picks of 2024. The ‘Ampersand‘ project is one of the band’s most creative and collaborative works. It features other musicians whose voices appear throughout the songs. Across four parts, the project tells stories of people, both real and mythological, some overrepresented, others overlooked. ‘Part Four‘ closes this project by turning the lens on the storyteller himself – lead singer, Dan Smith.
Studio Tracks
Bonnie & Clyde
The EP opens with a song that references two outlaws that everyone knows. Alongside Part Two’s ‘Leonard & Marianne‘, it reflects the early vision for the project: exploring romantic couples whose stories carry lasting intrigue. Over time, the project shifted more broadly into pairings of ideas, people, and what they are known for.
An aspect of the track that I love is how the lyrics move between perspectives, beginning in Bonnie’s voice and later shifting into Clyde’s. A key lyric: “You wrote beautiful poems, predictin’ a doomed love story / Took joke photographs, dressed up living gangster lives.”. This directly references Bonnie Parker’s poetry and the photographs she and Clyde staged for the press. Parker’s famous poem, ‘The Trail’s End‘, hauntingly predicted that she and Clyde would “go down together” and be buried “side by side” a prophecy fulfilled when the two were killed together in 1934. The opening line of verse one, “Shot down in Louisiana,” nods to this fate.
Rather than romanticising their story, the song meditates on legacy: who gets remembered, how narratives are shaped, and the tension between myth and reality.
Bathsheba & Him
This track has its origins in an episode of ‘Muses: An Ampersand Podcast‘.
In the episode, Dan Smith and Emma Nagouse (from podcast ‘You’re Dead to Me‘) discuss Leonard (Cohen) and Marianne (Ihlen) from the second ‘“&”‘ EP. Emma notes how Cohen famously immortalised the biblical story of King David in the song ‘Hallelujah‘ – ‘there was a secret chord / That David played‘ and Bathsheba ‘You saw her bathing on the roof‘. She suggested Dan write a song about King David. In the Bible, David saw Bathsheba bathing, desired her, summoned her, and later arranged for her husband’s death. The story is usually told as one of David’s sin and God’s forgiveness, leaving Bathsheba’s perspective unknown.
Instead, Dan chose to focus on Bathsheba. He asks what of her grief and lack of choice. Even the title, ‘Bathsheba & Him‘ cleverly flips the hierarchy, reducing David’s power. The song examines abuse of power directly. Bastille have notably explored biblical narratives before, such as in ‘Daniel In the Den‘ from their debut album, ‘Bad Blood‘.
Musically, I love how the distorted guitar hook works in the post-chorus. It’s incredibly catchy, with a gentle stack of vocals underneath and Dan’s ethereal falsetto soaring over the top. Female backing vocals add another layer, almost literally giving Bathsheba a voice, not just a figurative one.
My Head & The Glass
The most dramatic track is a story about teenage recklessness and the lessons carved from it. The production is standout for me, in the way that it mirrors the chaos of the narrative. Knocking drums and tapping land right as he sings ‘knocked me ’round the head‘, and when the lyric returns a second time, the vocal itself warps to create a sense of dizzy disorientation. The percussion functions almost like an anxious heartbeat, propelling both story and emotion. The final stretch of the song is also worth a mention, with stunning gospel-esque vocals and a rave-like build.
Bored & Overboard (Pandora’s Box)
‘Part Four‘ closes with a song that turns inward, focusing on Dan. It provides context for the stories told in previous tracks. ‘Bored & Overboard‘ is my favourite song on this EP, largely due to its painfully candid, autobiographical nature. It calls back to ‘Intros & Narrators‘ (“&”, Part One’s opening track), thematically referencing the idea that Dan ‘never wanted to be the main character’.
Here, he sings about the guilt of not enjoying the life of a big artist. Lines like, “Livin’ on a cringe, but not that many have your luck.” and “Look another win, hey, you should be enjoyin’ this.” capture that tension. The repeated “why aren’t you enjoying this?” cuts deep. Yet, he never sounds ungrateful. Instead, the honesty is admirable. When he describes being “Like a deck of cards in the howling wind,“, it poetically depicts just how fragile and exposed he feels. That vulnerability makes the song deeply relatable for anyone struggling within the life they chose, or even fell into, while trying to keep it together.
Live Tracks
‘Part Four‘ also features four live tracks recorded at the Turner Contemporary Museum in Margate. For the Bastille Presents “&” tour, Dan assembled a completely different band – Charlie Barnes, Florrie, Moira Mack, AK Patterson, Merrick Winter, and Bolt Strings, rather than the core Bastille lineup. These live recordings reinterpret familiar material while underscoring the collaborative ethos of the ‘Ampersand‘ project.
‘Good Grief‘, from Bastille’s second album, ‘Wild World‘, becomes a stripped-back, melancholic showcase for the musicians, each taking turns on lead vocals. ‘Eve & Paradise Lost‘ (from “&”, Part One), complete with a gorgeous string intro from Bolt Strings, that isn’t in the studio recording. The inclusion of ‘Leonard & Marianne‘ ( from “&”, Part Two) complements the presence of ‘Bathsheba & Him‘, recalling the podcast that sparked the track. Finally, ‘Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her‘ (from “&”)’, tells the story of a legendary Chinese pirate, often forgotten in history, soars live, with its striking time signature change for the bombastic chorus.
Closing Thoughts
‘“&” (Ampersand), Part 4‘ is the perfect closing to the ‘Ampersand‘ project. ‘Intros and Narrators‘ (the track that started this collection of stories) functions like a foreword at the start of a novel. ‘Bored and Overboard‘ is like an author’s note at the end – thoughtfully framing the journey with insight into the storyteller behind the songs.
Rating: 9/10
Bastille is on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok. Stream ‘“&” (Ampersand), Part 4‘ below. You can read more album reviews here.
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