Bad Blood was released in September and is the debut album of British alternative rock band, Bastille. Lead singer Dan Smith produced the album with Mark Crew and recorded it in London. Several hits are featured on the album, including “Bad Blood,” “Pompeii” and “Things We lost in the Fire.” The album has done well, making number one on the U.K. Albums Chart and successfully charting the U.S. Billboard 200.

Smith wrote every song on the album. It takes 40 minutes to listen to all 12 songs, not including the bonus tracks. Each song seems to tell a story and although the stories progressively become less optimistic, the music maintains it’s upbeat sound throughout the album.

The band has been compared to Coldplay by Brice Ezell of PopMatters. He said, “… Bastille brings out all the artillery on Bad Blood, and the result is nothing but earth-shattering.”  Although the band has received some bad reviews, the songs from Bad Blood are bound to impress listeners who enjoy indie-rock bands such as Arcade Fire and other alternative music. They will want to hit the replay button over and over again to listen to Smith’s smooth voice and meaningful lyrics.