ALBUM REVIEW: BIG SPECIAL - NATIONAL AVERAGE

BIG SPECIAL’s sophomore long-play ‘NATIONAL AVERAGE’ is infused with true Black Country grit, the inticing element of surprise, and an array of sharply-produced electronic instrumentals, in a brain-challenging, hypnotic commentary on the darkness of the modern age. Any album released out of the blue, purely under the guise of a pixelated projected picture of egg and chips, is destined to turn heads, that’s without question.

Photo Credit: Isaac Watson

The blueprint that offered up the formula for their debut release ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’ has been manipulated into wavy lines carrying funky bass rhythms, sleazy keyboard drives, and chuckle-worthy digs lyrical from frontman Joe Hicklin. 

‘NATIONAL AVERAGE’ boasts an effortlessly strong three-track run, as opening tune ‘THE MESS’ draws you in with a slimy vocal darkness before landing a punch right in the gut. Each lyrical jab might seem reminiscent of the likes of IDLES, Soft Play and a less-grandiose take on Yard Act, but stands its own ground surrounded by a cacophony of distorted guitar fuzz and squealing synth. The album introduces itself in classic BIG SPECIAL fashion; punchy, in-your-face, and laden with spoken word that plants thoughtful seeds. 

The presence this album takes up falls nothing short of huge, but incredibly well-deserved. Tracks like ‘PIGS PUDDIN’ and ‘YESBOSS’ cut through the sludgy stigma surrounding a working-class upbringing with ease, whilst shining a mirror upon lived experiences that gleam with raw passion and a well-informed aversion to the cultural hierarchy.

The West Country brogue is a mere accompaniment to Callum Maloney’s tight efforts on the drums as each beat works like a mechanical cog in a musical machine; as a duo, these boys work like a unit in tandem to broadcast a sense of sardonicism, assisted by moments of deadpan delivery amongst slabs of bass. ‘NATIONAL AVERAGE’ closes out with bounding drum work and a funk-infused vulnerability, in an insightful, stare-out-the-window contemplative track that rounds off an outstanding selection of emblematic scrapbooks to be added to their punk-rock profile.