It’s Weird and Wonderful, Bombay Bicycle Club Release ‘Tekken 2’

Bombay Bicycle Club and Chaka Khan is a collaboration that I don’t think anyone was expecting, but ‘Tekken 2’ is here and it’s magnificent.

The London four-piece have an upcoming album being released to the world on 20th October 2023 (‘My Big Day’), and the fifth single has just heightened everybody’s excitement for this release. 

Epic drums are what greet the listener as soon as they press play on this song, they’re almost theatrical, like the entrance of a royal in a movie. The music that follows is a simple but effective tune, making the audience realise how different this song is going to be from the singles that have already been released. The band have used a similar sound before, especially in their fourth studio album ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’. Inspirations from popular, traditional Asian music are clear here, something that not a lot of British indie-alternative bands are using these days. It’s warm and comforting to see the band bringing back their old quirks and getting in touch with their younger selves. Bombay Bicycle Club are known for being out there with their sounds, and they have done exactly that here with ‘Tekken 2’.

After the opening melody, the classic indie, soft-sounding guitar begins, something that is all too familiar in their music. A simple bassline accompanies this, along with Jack’s calming, melodic vocals. There are lots of interesting sound effects happening throughout this track - the twinkling and chime sounds are a cutesy added feature, making it an enjoyable and fun listen. One thing about ‘Tekken 2’ that makes it so appealing is the mixing of genres going on; there are so many aspects of different types of music being taken and used here that it’s confusing, but in an extremely pleasant way. 

Onto the legend herself - Chaka Khan. The part she plays is textbook Chaka Khan. There is no other way to describe her contribution apart from highlighting the energy and charisma that she brings to this track as it is absolutely perfect and works surprisingly well with everything going on. Her section sounds like it could be her own, like she’s not singing with Bombay Bicycle Club because it’s just so different. Vocalist Jack and Chaka Khan have strangely complementary vocals, which is unexpected, but there is something about the way they cooperate that has a holding effect on the listener. 

Big things are happening for Bombay Bicycle Club, and lots of their fans have been enjoying the collaborations that have come out of this album so far (like ‘Diving’ with Holly Humberstone). There is a lot of excitement in the air as fans wait for ‘My Big Day’ to come out. Following this, the band have announced an album tour, and it will be fascinating to see how this wonderful song translates to a live audience. 

Izzi Glover

@izziglover / @izzigloverphotography

Image: ‘Tekken 2’ Official Single Cover