Album Review: Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix

The guitars have been plugged back in for Bombay Bicycle Club’s third album, A Different Kind of Fix, yet the London four-piece have not simply reverted back to the formula of their highly popular debut album. Bombay’s first album, I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, was an album full of indie dance floor hits in-waiting.

Combining infectious hooks with frontman Jack Steadman’s unique and emotive voice, Bombay Bicycle Club found a formula that instantly found its way into the hearts of thousands of indie fans, quickly building a passionate fanbase.

However, the Bombay boys didn’t rest on their laurels after the success of their breakthrough album, quickly returning with their follow-up album, the acoustic effort Flaws. Once again, Steadman and Co. found themselves showered with critical praise, with an album that managed to break away from the sudden explosion of folk music acts, such Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling.

Now with their third album in three years, the prolific four-piece have changed direction yet again, creating an album that is unquestionably mellow and chilled, forming a segue between the bands’ first and second album.



Album opener, ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep’, has been a part of Bombay’s live set for at least a year now, after it was included as a bonus track on the The Twilight: Eclipse Soundtrack. The haunting opener captures the sound of the album perfectly, with its beautiful melodic guitar and chorused backing vocals combining for an almost hypnotic conclusion. ‘Bad Timing’ is more reminiscent of Bombay’s first album, with guitars turned up to the max and claustrophobic synths to accompany them, as Steadman’s minimalist lyrics sweeping over the top, “Why do you keep me back? / With all the power I am pushing at”.



‘Lights Out Words Gone’ has featured frequently during Bombay’s festival sets - including outings at Reading and Glastonbury - which is understandable considering how it reflects the subtle changes that band have made to their sound. It is one of several tracks to feature Lucy Rose on vocals - as she finds herself becoming more of a prominent fixture in the Bombay clan after her role on Flaws. Rose’s soft vocals provide the perfect accompaniment to Steadman as the track boasts the laid-back, carefree sound that dominates much of A Different Kind Of Fix. She also joins the boys again on ‘Fracture’, another song that combines the wistful hazy sound from Flaws with a constant drum beat and finicky guitar.

‘Take The Right One’ leans more on Bombay Bicycle Club’s debut without sounding like a regurgitated cut, with Steadman’s voice joined by the reverberating guitars to produce yet another joyous track. The back-and-forth of the guitars and shuffling drum beat on five-minute plus ‘Your Eyes’ is also more akin to Bombay’s earlier material, yet it once again manages to move away from being confined to any one particular sound.

The first single from Bombay’s third album, ‘Shuffle’, encompasses the crucial danceability that all great indie tunes possess - and was constantly present throughout I Had The Blues... - yet the jaunty house piano really distances the song from anything Bombay, or anyone else for that matter, have done before. It is the album’s centerpiece, a masterful concoction of Steadman’s vocals, Lucy Rose’s vocals and funky bass line, all of which are layered on top of that infectious summery piano.



After such a strong song it would be easy for the next song on the album to suffer in its wake, however, ‘Beggars’ is a stunning and emotive follow-up, which begin with the tender finger-picking more associated with Flaws. Then half way through the drums and bass kick in as Steadman’s voice soars towards a beautiful chorus, before the song slowly fades out with the repetitive guitar and a haunting vocals.

‘Leave It’ is a quirky song. Starting with a guitar riff that intertwines with a slow ticking drum beat, before moving into a two-part chorus which begins with Lucy Rose’s ghostly vocals and ends with Steadman’s voice bursting in with an addictive chorus to match any from Bombay’s debut album. ‘Fracture’ also sounds more akin to the mellow, melancholy sound of Flaws, whilst ‘What You Want’ is another track that demonstrates Bombay’s new fondness for synths on A Different Kind Of Fix.



Bombay Bicycle Club may have been categorized as part of the often derided indie genre, but this band are so much more than that. The final two songs move away drastically from anything the young band have ever tried before, yet they still fit the overall direction of the album. ‘Still’, in particular, is a phenomenal closing song, one that echoes Amnesiac-era Radiohead. It is simplicity at its very best, stripped down to just a piano and Steadman’s poignant vocals - providing a heart-rendering and wonderful conclusion to yet another great album. Bombay Bicycle Club’s album proficiency makes the quality of all three albums all the more remarkable - and here’s hoping that they don’t stop anytime soon. They are a special band, making very special music.

4/5