It was just over a year ago that we reviewed Last Plane Out’s highly melodic, orchestrated, ‘All Fool’s Day’, a sort of prog-lite effort with mainstream pop vibes inspired by a peculiar mix of Genesis and ABBA.
I was expecting something similar from this latest single, ‘Break the Chain’, and I wasn’t disappointed.
‘Break the Chain concerns a relationship breakup, like their first ever single, ‘Making her Smile’ but this time the separation is an amicable one with some hope expressed for the future.
Reconciliation?
Hmm, I don’t think so. It appears that both parties have concluded their future lies elsewhere and that the breakup is mutually afforded. Would that they were always that pleasant…
“No we don’t want to say goodbye but it’s better than to stay and live a lie
Looking for a second chance; lost in a game of circumstance”.
Musically, this duo fascinates me in the manner in which they blend pop and prog. The intro could have been taken from ABBA’s last album until their 2021 revival – ‘The Visitors’- or have been a B-side to the single ‘The Day before you came’. It has the same chirpy yet at the same time vaguely sad main melody line to it.
Then it transitions into prog territory, with the mere addition of some profound guitar chords, chord progressions and a Jon Anderson-style vocal. It really is that easy when you know how.
For all the profundity of the lyrics, unless you are Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen your songs will be remembered for their melodies and hooks rather than the wise words but ‘Break the Chain’ has both in equal measure.
Bluntly these are hit songs; they should be played every day on British radio in lieu of some of the banality we get served up.
(Continues after the Spotify link)
‘Break the Chain’ will be followed by another single, ‘Young at Heart’, on October 24 and in which they “celebrate the sense of liberation you feel when you’ve been around long enough to see through a lot of the bullshit that surrounds us”. Tell me about it.
Both songs will appear on Last Plane Out’s second album, ‘Cautionary Tales’.
They are working on putting together a full band for touring.
Last Plane Out are:
Nils Erikson, based in Malmö, Sweden, is a Swedish singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He has released a number of solo albums, one of which was nominated for two Swedish Grammys (Newcomer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year). In addition to that, he has released several instrumental works that have been streamed millions of times. He also writes choral music.
Anders Lundquist, based in Stockholm, Sweden, is a lyricist, composer and bassist/guitarist, as well as a renowned music journalist. As a member of Swedish hard rock progsters band Future Elephants? he released three acclaimed albums between 2016 and 2023, before leaving the band.
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/last.plane.outSE
