Amusing claims of an industry plant have been levelled at The Last Dinner Party who prove they are anything but with Nothing Matters. Fresh, stylish and powerful antics from the fearsome five-piece ring well with the genre but push far beyond that. Here is a track that depends on the strength of individuality yet equally works best when the group showcase their togetherness and intimate knowledge of their craft. What is it about The Last Dinner Party that strikes so well? Flippant and frank with their debut track title, Nothing Matters matters most of all. Despite this desperation to label The Last Dinner Party as something, to make it easier for future conversation and to haul people on board the fresh new ship, it is hard to think of something that does.
More impressive is The Last Dinner Party are channelling something that hits with the mood of the era. British artists hit on that nicely last year, particularly groups with their finger on the pulse of society and their minds in the words and work of their influences. The Last Dinner Party draw from somewhere but rejuvenate whatever its influence is into a trusting powerhouse. Nothing Matters draws on the social and human disconnect, the empty tenderness, the harshness of intimacy and the consistent allure of it. Regular as clockwork those tropes may be for indie singles of the NME cannon fodder variety, The Last Dinner Party are the freshest artist to come through this year.
New faces, new voices, new intentions are always exciting prospects, but nothing gets much better than the formidable and confident showcase on Nothing Matters. Just three minutes but feeling endless as it showcases the impressive vocal range, the quality playing talent and those influences begin to shine through a little brighter. Bombastic twelve-tone work, connections to the songs of their youth and everything shines through with a sleek and motivating sincerity. Crucial to that new style and sound is the capturing of a mood and period. Yard Act, Wet Leg and Sam Fender did it last year, the holy trinity of a rebirth that came from unlocking the latch on a door that had, for the better part of two years, remained graciously shut. The Last Dinner Party pull momentum from nothing but their clear and impressively gifted collection of musicians.
Sometimes gambles are fairly safe. The Last Dinner Party have exploded from nowhere and rightly so. Black Country, New Road had that same feel. One moment they were idly shifting and pushing through, the next they had two albums under their belt and some impressive awards to go along with it. That same trajectory is inevitably paved for certain artists who with smart songs and smarter passion are destined for bigger, better, brighter things. The Last Dinner Party has that infectious feel. An industry plant? That is jealousy for those who are not on board for a track that feels as equally layered and effective as Florence and The Machine’s Lungs and as perfectly placed in the cultural eye as a prime Sam Fender track. These are not comparisons of sound but of importance. The Last Dinner Party are on the road to that, and Nothing Matters is a bold first move. Like kicking someone in the head at the beginning of a Cluedo match. A mystery is still there but blood is on the table. Nothing Matters will knock you clean out. Perfect.
