Bastille return with Good Grief, the opening track and first single to be taken from their stunning new album, ‘Wild World’. The song received its first worldwide play last night on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show, and today will be played on every show across the station.

Good Grief is a bouncy, infectious, summer stomper. With a hypnotic bassline, skittish synths and soaring vocals, the track builds to a huge, rousing chorus.  It’s unmistakably a Bastille song, euphoric yet melancholic and fans who immersed themselves in the band’s early, dialogue-strewn mixtapes will enjoy its sampling of Kelly Le Brock from 80s cult classic, Weird Science. Written by Dan Smith and co-produced by Mark Crew, the track perfectly showcases Smith’s undeniable song-writing prowess and flair for a hook.

It’s just five years since South Londoner, Dan Smith (vocals/ songwriter/ started Bastille alone in his bedroom, releasing 300 copies of debut single,Flaws/Icarus. Joined by Chris Wood (drums), Will Farquarson (guitar) and Kyle Simmons (keyboards) the band line-up was complete. Relentless gigging, genuine word of mouth and some smartly curated mixtapes (featuring collaborations with the likes Haim, Kate Tempest and Angel Haze) meant that within three years Bastille had become a global phenomenon; the band’s chart-conquering debut album ‘Bad Blood’ selling over four million albums alongside eleven million singles. In the UK, the twice Number One album was certified double-platinum and named the biggest-selling digital album of 2013.

Hit singles Pompeii (one of the biggest alternative anthems of the last few years), Flaws, Laura Palmer and Things We lost in the Fire, helped Bastille become the year’s biggest-selling global breakthrough act; with over a billion Spotify streams earning the band British Breakthrough at the following year’s Brits, alongside two Grammy nominations. 

Their hugely anticipated new album, ‘Wild World’ retains the vivid, rich, filmic songwriting of its predecessor but pushes the band’s unique sound in exciting new directions. Lyrically, too, it’s a leap forward. “If our first album was about growing up and the anxieties surrounding it” Dan explains, “Our second is about trying to make sense of the world around you, both as you see it and as it’s presented to you through the media. It’s also about asking questions of the world and of the people in it.” 

Last week the band announced the album’s title by releasing a captivating cinematic trailer via their Facebook. The trailer amassed over 500,000 views in just 48 hours (1.2 million views to date) sending fans in to a frenzy.

2016 looks set to see Bastille scale new heights and cement their reputation as a major global act. The four piece play many of this summer’s festivals with further headline dates yet to be announced.