Written by Laurene Workman

Photography by Daisy McDonald

Modeled by Laurene Workman, Olivia Cordero, Rachel Schiemder, & Reyna Meyer

British indie rock band The Last Dinner Party has taken the internet by storm over the past year. Their hit single “Nothing Matters” made its way through trending videos, leading new fans to their eccentric album. This summer, they appeared at music festivals such as Coachella and Glastonbury. The band, inspired by debauched dinner parties and hedonistic banquets, began their rise in 2021. Meeting in university at 18, the band connected through the London music scene.

Abigail Morris, lead vocalist, and Lizzie Maryland, guitarist, had grown up in choir. Lead guitarist Emily Roberts is trained in jazz guitar, and also plays the mandolin and flute. Bassist Georgia Davies had her own experience in the garage rock band arena. Despite struggling to perform during the pandemic, they spent time developing their sound and traction in the London music circuit. With each of their unique experiences in music, Morris said in an interview with Variety magazine that their sound came together in a “magical, alchemical way.” This time was well spent, as in 2022 the band found themselves opening for the Rolling Stones and Benee. A year later, they were opening for Hozier and Florence and the Machine.

Alongside this, the band began releasing singles in 2023 and would come to release their album “Prelude to Ecstasy” in 2024. The album explores the experience of womanhood, gender roles, relationships with religion, and the rise to fame. Morris said this album swings between the extremes of human emotion and that it was written as an album they wanted to hear as teenagers. Listeners experience this firsthand as they tune into the lyrical prowess and enchanting vocals.

“The Feminine Urge,” the fourth track on “Prelude to Ecstasy,” carries the band's themes and ideals with lines like, “Here comes the feminine urge, I know it so well/To nurture the wounds my mother held” and “Do you feel like a man when I can't talk back?/Do you want me or do you want to control?” Exploring ideas of women in society and generational trauma, the song is haunting yet upbeat. 

“Portrait of a Dead Girl" highlights similar themes of abusive relationships. “And I wish you would give me the courtesy/Of ripping out my throat/And I wish that I’d let you have the dignity of letting me go.” Male privilege and feelings of envy are explored as lead singer Morris writes, “He has the Earth, and makes love to her to spite me.” Womanhood is a heavy theme in this album’s lyricism.

Songs on this album shift from the ecstasy of passion to the sublimity of pain. “Burn Alive”  explores toxic relationships, loss, and grief. “Gjuha,” a song entirely in Albanian, mourns the loss of culture and not knowing one's ancestral tongue. Throughout the album, The Last Dinner Party shifts between different styles of music to highlight their themes of lust, revenge, and sorrow.

Songs on this album reference history, biblical stories, and myths. Morris sings of Julius Caesar and the Soviet city of Leningrad, highlighting themes of the fall of power in spite of greatness. “Burn Alive” alludes to the story of Adam and Eve and the fall of Icarus. “My Lady Mercy” references Catholicism and the internal struggle the narrator has with her relationship to religion. Listeners can explore themes of religious guilt and intimacy through the song “Sinner” with the lines, “When touch was innocent/I wish I knew you/Before it felt like a sin.” Stories, culture, and personal experiences are greatly used throughout the creative process of The Last Dinner Party.

The tracklist — best listened to in order — tells a story and creates an experience for listeners. The Last Dinner Party is full of theatrics and hard-hitting songs. Dressed in their corsets, catholic veils, and eccentric gowns, the band performs ravishing experiences enrapturing their crowds. Listeners can unleash their eccentric side as they bask in the theatrics of this album. 

Top 3 Songs

“Beautiful Boy”

“Sinner”

“On Your Side”