Bat For Lashes - In God’s House

Wedding bells ring for Bat For Lashes on her new album ‘The Bride’. But don’t think for one second Natasha Khan’s taking a traditional route down the aisle. In contrast to the pure ‘I Do’, which announced her fourth album, ‘In God’s House’ turns tradition into something more ominous. Backed by uptight, stop-start synth notes (the likes of which define Wild Beasts’ similarly anxious ‘Present Tense’ album), Khan sings about the recurring feeling that “something’s wrong.” One minute in, those terse notes give way to a fluttering, open-ended refrain. Hope and optimism make a timely appearance, but it’s only fleeting. Within seconds, Khan is back to remarking on death, left alone. “My baby died on a beach” isn’t exactly the simple, loved-up vow a wedding-themed album might promise. Like the best of Bat For Lashes’ work, she flips convention on its head.