bigfatbig – Rippin’ It (Daemon TV)
You might have caught North East punk pop band bigfatbig supporting Martha a while back and they’ve now released their second EP, Rippin’ It. Expect catchy choruses, catchier riffs, and a whole lot of fun.
Artist: bigfatbig
Track: Rippin’ It
Label: Daemon TV
Released: 6 September 2024
Find it: Spotify
Describing their sound as. ‘chaotic, yet melodic, well-meaning pop-punk with thick guitars and a powerful vocal’, Rippin’ It is the second EP from the North East’s bigfatbig. With bold, catchy tunes, full of emphatic harmonies we reckon it’s one you’re going to have on repeat for a while.
It’s easy to draw lines between bigfatbig and Martha (the former learnt the touring ropes supporting the latter in 2022) as in sound and attitude they make a great pairing. Across the 6 songs here there’s echoes of The Front Bottoms, Upset, and Junk Whale as they match the high energy with often pithily delivered emotion and observation.
You’re carried along in a great opening run of tracks which build out the band’s signature sound. Speaking to NARC magazine guitarist Katie Ryall said of the opening track, “We wrote Nothing because capitalism sucks, working for big companies sucks, money sucks, and we wanted to have a moan about it. Reducing these big concepts and our beliefs into a repetitive, easy chorus somehow makes them more manageable, and summarises the truth of what we wanted to say: I’m doing Nothing!”
From here we get Inbetween, an exploration of duality and the expectations we hold ourselves to. The vocal soars and dips, chant-like harmonies, racing rhythms and just enough fuzz around the edges of the chiming guitars. We’re breathlessly carried straight on to Reason/Season/Lifetime with a great bouncing line staying steady as the sparser verses blossom into a sing-a-long chorus.
There is the briefest moment to catch your breath and still your beautifully racing heart before Fine really kicks in. Oh, but when it does. You’re going to be floored by the insistently pounding beat, the overlapping vocals, the repeating chorus line. It’s polished indie rock and scrappy punk pop all in one glorious package. Opening the second half of the EP this is a track which fully embodies that fearful freedom as arms open wide you move past the point of no return at the top of the greatest hill you can find, let gravity take control as you hurtle: onwards the only option now.
In truth, how many of us can say we haven’t at some time, to some degree, been tempted to write love letter’s to Pity Me pop-punks Martha? Brilliantly in Love Letters bigfatbig have done just that – questioning as any of us might why they ‘can’t just enjoy this a normal amount’ and clearly wishing (again, as any of us would) to be back on tour with the band they adore. Guitars and hearts swell with the sentiments, and anyone who’s loved music will recognise the enthusiasm and urgency spilling out from this song.
Closer The Worm Song slows everything down, revelling in simplicity while plaintively vowing to be there for someone forever. It’s a sweet sentiment turning the needy vibes of ‘would you still love me if I were a worm’ on their head to stand in power, making the love truly unconditional: ‘I don’t care if you’d pick me / coz I’d always pick you’.
There’s a playfulness across the whole EP which only underlines some of the big emotions shared; the dissatisfaction, the duality, the longing that sets you on fire rather than pins you in place, the power to be found in loving someone or something without needing it reciprocated.
These songs wrap you up, and carry you along. They recognise you, and in their relatability and their catchy melodies offer you the most wonderful escape. As we said at the start, this is one you’re going to want on repeat for a while.
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Rippin’ It by bigfatbig is out now digitally and on vinyl on Daemon TV.
Find bigfatbig: Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Upcoming live dates:
- 13 September – JT Soar, Nottingham
- 14 September – The Library, Oxford
- 22 September – The Castle, Manchester
- 8 – 9 November – Nice As Pie Festival, Wharf Chambers, Leeds (Sold Out)
Image credit: Ryan Young
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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