“The End of the World With You” begins spaciously — with a stirring orchestra of sorts, and a swelling series of horns that reflect a rising sun (at least in my mind). Sam Strawbridge’s lyrics – which speak of a coming apocalypse of sorts, but a sort of comfort as well in being with the one you love – combine with the instrumental backing for a striking effect, reminding me very fondly of Pink Floyd’s “When the Tigers Broke Free“.
The “I’m glad I could just spend it next to you” line preceding the instrumental elevation around 01:20 is quite effective, as is the gradual build-up that makes the use of strings particularly apparent during this section. I’m really enjoying how the backing instrumentation’s beauty becomes increasingly apparent. Whereas build-ups in many other tracks attempt to cloak insubstantial songwriting, this is the opposite — the culmination is excellent, and the build-up is an excellent methodological choice to showcase it in its most appreciative form. Technically sound and stylistically innovative, “The End of the World With You” is a stunner that blends Spiritualized’s spacious beauty with Pink Floyd’s psych-leaning vocal experimentation.
