Redefining, in many ways, the sound of modern indie rock – New York’s Big Band offer up something that is musically thick and full to the brim with distorted instrumentation and energy. At the same time, their writing is loaded with melodies and moments that carry these very human emotions through the airwaves and into your life. This combination of elements was always what made rock music connect, but in this case, there’s a notable delicacy to the songwriting that contrasts powerfully with the weight of the music.
It’s kinda hard to hide when you’re dead inside.
Look Away is a dreamlike piece of music and writing, teetering between the hypnotically smooth and the somewhat more edgy and angst driven. The leading vocal has a tone and performance style that seems partly exhausted, partly desperate to connect. The sound is reminiscent of Damon Albarn’s work in a way, the slurred melody, the rise and the fall of those lines. The tune wraps itself around you, and the sincerity of that vocal, backed up by a more distant, louder, higher end vocal part, makes for an all round atmospheric and intense experience.
It’s not a song that simply plays and then leaves you alone. The latter half of the track is nothing but music; cascading guitar parts, a manic drum line, a brief snippet of final lyricism to see things out. The song fills the room entirely as it plays, and it’s really a case of the louder the better. These Mac DeMarco style chords make for a world of audio that seems uncertain as to whether or not it’s a happy place or one of lethargy and melancholy. The leading riff and that consistent melody are the sort that have you hanging on for dear life yet listening back at every opportunity.
The song is strangely familiar and thrilling in its simplistic expression of passion. There’s hope in the sound, but there’s little resolve. The only solution is to take home their entire album and seek out a live show – something that’s likely to be every bit as bold and satisfying as the very best indie rock offerings from yesteryear.
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