THE LAST DINNER PARTY, FROM THE PYRE

From early word spreading through club shows to supporting slots with The Rolling Stones, Florence and the Machine, and Lana Del Rey, success came quickly for The Last Dinner Party. By early 2024, their debut album Prelude to Ecstasy arrived to strong reviews and real sales, and the band suddenly found themselves carrying the momentum of a breakthrough. The response came with noise: think pieces about authenticity, suggested industry-plant discourse, and a misquote that turned into a minor firestorm. Through it all, the band stayed focused, emphasizing the facts of their start, crediting a filmed early gig for sparking label interest, and keeping attention on the music. Friendship and a shared sense of purpose remained the anchor.

The band is now back with From the Pyre, their second album, which began with sessions with James Ford and was completed with Markus Dravs, carrying forward a simple brief from Ford....be bold and make a classic record. As on their debut, they draw from a rich palette, with seventies baroque pop and art rock remaining central, piano and guitar figures nodding to Kate Bush and Queen, and a flair for the dramatic that lives inside the melodies, with hooks that arrive fast. Yet the songs feel more direct, both musically and lyrically. Abigail Morris writes about grief, desire, and the blur between real life and the myths that songs create, and the band frames those stories with arrangements where Emily Roberts stretches her lead-guitar, Aurora Nishevci threads keys through the mix, and the rhythm section keeps everything steady so the choruses can soar. 

I may be alone in saying that From the Pyre is a better album than The Last Dinner Party’s debut, but I’ll own it. The balance the band once described between elegance and urgency comes through more clearly here, helped by their flair for the dramatic being dialed back. The writing is sharper, the performances have bite, and the melodies carry real weight. It’s one of the few follow-up albums to a celebrated debut that I can recall liking this much.