A Bit of Previous

by Belle and Sebastian

Overview

The songs on Scottish indie pop architects Belle and Sebastian's tenth studio album, A Bit of Previous, wander through various energetic and sunny approaches, but they're tied together by thematic undercurrents of aging, anxiety, and existential questioning. Recorded and produced by the band at their practice space, every tune sounds comfortable and considered. The production and arrangement choices feel thoughtful rather than labored over, as if the walls of handclaps on "If They're Shooting at You" or the unrelenting harmonica that's going for the majority of "Unnecessary Drama" were deliberate choices the group decided on over the course of months. This at-home feeling might also account for how wildly they swing between styles over the course of the album's 12 songs. "Young and Stupid" utilizes violin and bright acoustic guitars to guide sticky melodies, and there's a hint of nostalgia in the kind of chamber-pop sweetness (French horn, Enoch Light-styled backing vocals) that appeared on the band's earliest material 26 years prior. Almost immediately, however, they switch gears for the mellow quasi-soul of "If They're Shooting at You," the moody synth pop on "Reclaim the Night," a lush Baroque country-folk waltz on "Deathbed of My Dreams," or a bouncy indie reading of Motown on "Come On Home." The stylistic hopscotch the band play here recalls the staggered but intentional flow of their 2003 album Dear Catastrophe Waitress, and like that record, A Bit of Previous rewards listeners who can ride out the zigzagging with a deeper cohesion that takes a few listens to sink in. At this point in Belle and Sebastian's discography, their calling cards are well-established, and the songs are full of their particular brand of soft, smiling melodies, and arrangements that bubble up without feeling too crowded or overwrought. What feels different among the familiar, sometimes self-referential songwriting is an ongoing thread of uneasy, darkly self-reflective lyrical themes. This can be as blatant as lines about increasingly creaky bones and settling into middle age on "Young and Stupid," or as intense as the stark look at anxiety and self-sabotaging patterns on the jittery "Talk to Me Talk to Me." The perky, joyful sounds are always just slightly louder than the swirls of dread that buttress A Bit of Previous. It's in the album's unlikely combination of weighty sentiments and cheerful (if especially diverse) sounds that Belle and Sebastian grow, offering up an honest assessment of what getting older feels like when you're one of the world's best indie pop bands. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	05/06/2022
Label:	Matador
UPC:	0191401184526

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Belle and Sebastian   Primary Artist
Ryan Quigley   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Leon McCrary   Vocals (Background)
Charles "Chuck Heat" Henderson   Vocals (Background)
Michael Owers   Trombone,Trombone (Bass)
Brian McNeill   Synthesizer
Anjolee Williams   Vocals (Background)
Patience Henderson McCrary   Vocals (Background)
Olivia Walker   Vocals (Background)
Alessandra Lupo   Spoken Word
Paul Towndrow   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Shawn Everett   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Kevin Burleigh   Producer
Belle and Sebastian   Composer,Producer
Sarah Martin   Brass Arrangement
Leon McCrary   Vocal Arrangement,Choir Arrangement
Charles "Chuck Heat" Henderson   Choir Arrangement,Vocal Arrangement
Marisa Privitera   Assistant Photographer
Fiona Morrison   Management
Lisa Ward   Management
Saif Ali   Cover Star
Laura Taylor   Management
Jessica Lord   Management
Brian McNeill   Mixing,Producer
Emma Durnan   Sleeve Design
Yvonne Kincaid   Artwork,Cover Star
Winona Childs   Cover Star
Titana Muthui   Artwork,Cover Star
Tess Macdonald   Cover Star
Syd Childs   Cover Star
Kyle Lonsdale Jackson   Cover Star
Clowie Magusloy   Cover Star
Cass Kildea   Artwork,Cover Star
Ryan Quigley   Brass Arrangement
Stuart Murdoch   Photography
Shawn Everett   Mixing,Additional Production
Matt Wiggins   Mixing,Producer
Frank Arkwright   Mastering
Anna Miles   Artwork,Cover Star
James Sandom   Management
Tony Doogan   Mixing
Chris Geddes   Artwork