“Bad Blood” is alternative-group Bastille’s debut album. The band is named after Bastille Day, which falls on the lead-singer, Dan Smith’s, birthday. Having been extremely well received in the UK, the band is now tackling a new market: America.

The first track, “Pompeii,” begins with choir-like chanting that is prevalent throughout the record. You can see this song being used in a motivational advert. Track six, “Weight of Living, Pt. II,” begins with 80s electro-keyboard, layering synthy vocals and a poppy melody line. This is definitely a rock-out-at-the-stoplight song. Track eight, “Oblivion,” is a ballad with stirring lyrics. The song touches on the fleeting human existence and the inevitability of oblivion. The title track begins with handclaps and thumping base. The song has a slower beat, with a building melody line.

“Bad Blood” makes great background music for doing homework, getting ready for an event, going for a walk, or driving. However, the songs are pretty repetitive, choosing a main melody line and adding on to it as the song progresses. The group favors the use of echoes, electric keyboards and choir backgrounds. These are prominent on the record, giving it a misty quality. The band is not extremely well known, so you can definitely gain hipster points for listening to this record. Overall, the record receives four out of five stars.