"&"

"&" is largely a solo endeavor by the band's frontman Dan Smith. The album consists of "story songs" written about various historical figures, myths, and stories.^[5][6] Smith originally conceived the idea of "&" with three tracks: "Leonard & Marianne", written in 2020 after watching the film Marianne and Leonard: Words of Love, "Bonnie & Clyde", based on the difference between their real and sensationalized lives, and "Telephone Road 1977 & 2024", rewritten based on the first song Smith wrote at age 14, which was based on one of his father's poems about a woman he met in San Francisco in the late '70s.^[7] After constantly touring and recording albums in tour buses and hotels, the band took a quiet year in 2024. Smith took this time to write "&" at home on his kitchen table, going back to how he wrote the band's debut album Bad Blood. He and other musicians then spent a three weeks at different studios across England recording all of the album's tracks.^[8] Sonically, the tracks consist of stripped back, guitar-led instrumentals, often without percussion, with soultry and intimate vocals from Smith.

The album was announced on 22 July 2024 alongside an album trailer.^[9] Part One was released on 26 July containing four tracks: "Intros & Narrators", "Eve & Paradise Lost", "Emily & Her Penthouse In The Sky", and "Seasons & Narcissus", the former of which was released as the lead single alongside a music video on 19 July.^[3][10] Part Two released on 13 September containing the two tracks "Blue Sky & the Painter" and "Leonard & Marianne", with the former released as the second single, with a music video released on 26 September.^[4][11] Part Three consists of the remaining songs on "&", released on 25 October along with the full album. Apart from the two singles, music videos were also released for the songs "Seasons & Narcissus", "Eve & Paradise Lost", and "Leonard & Marianne".

In promotion of the album, Bastille performed a limited run of one-off shows in Europe and the US throughout November 2024.^[12]

Part Four of "&" was released on 15 August 2025 as a standalone EP, with the single "Bathsheba & Him" released on 1 August.^[13][14] The EP also contains the tracks "Bonnie & Clyde", "My Head & the Glass", and "Bored & Overboard (Pandora's Box)", as well as live versions of some of the band's tracks recorded at the Turner Contemporary Gallery as part of Arte Concert's Sounds Like Art series.^[15]

In a positive review, Sarah Jamieson of DIY called the album "an innovative, immersive and wholly enjoyable project".^[19] While Jui Zaveri of The Indiependent called the project "an ambitious experiment of sound and storytelling" and "A haunting indie-folk album: quiet and pared-back instrumentals that sometimes swell up to orchestral heights; beautifully poetic lyrics and an atmosphere of melancholy".^[20] A positive review from XS Noize, written by Michael Barron, also noted that the album "blends modern music with rich narratives, creating a fascinating interplay between the past and present".^[21]

All tracks are written by Dan Smith. Additional writers are included below.

Credits adapted from Apple Music.^[22][23]