Andrew Paschal: Right down to their French Revolution-referencing band name, Bastille are a band that goes for the grand and bombastic most all the time, and “Send Them Off!” is no exception. Of course they would employ a horn section here; after all, such instrumentation is perfectly suited to their histrionic purposes (nothing against horns, but they can be easily and severely misused). While I appreciate the exploration of psychological unrest as expressed through the repeated plea, “exorcise my mind”, the track is ultimately way too vanilla and extraverted to convincingly illustrate the claustrophobic discomforts of anxiety and jealousy. [4/10]
Adriane Pontecorvo: It starts out with a promising bass line, but “Send Them Off!” quickly falls flat. It’s a dull piece of pop music that is neither good nor bad, but is still liable to get stuck in your head until it goes completely sour. As soon as it’s over, there’s no reason to remember anything about it: who it’s by, what it’s called, how it sounds. That chorus sure lingers, though. [4/10]
Chris Ingalls: I called Bastille’s previous single, “Fake It”, a bit of a bland Coldplay soundalike when I first heard it. Fortunately there’s a bit more of an edge to this track, but there’s still a lack of originality and a general sense that the band is holding back. The horn synth riffs are a nice sonic treat, but overall there’s a bland pop formula here that’s just not terribly exciting. [5/10]
Paul Carr: Unexpectedly, this seems to take its cue from ’90s big beat recluses Propellerheads, in particular their thundering track “Bang On”. An awesome spoken word intro gives way to a big beat bassline. It’s a bouncy, invigorating tune with a horn hook line will need require minor surgery to get out of your brain. An anthemic pop song built to be played loud in large outdoor spaces. [7/10]
Scott Zuppardo: More feathered hair and marching band-esque horn synths, these dudes are well dialed into the pop consortium, and that’s pretty much it. If you’re looking for depth, carry on, if cookie cutter pop is your thing, this is your muse. [3/10]
SCORE: 4.6