Photo by Iona McLeod
The trio Big Fear have delivered once again, bringing together their alt-pop edge and lyrical sharpness across the five-track debut EP Career Day. Produced by Charlie Andrew (alt-J, Wolf Alice), the project pools a diverse set of ideas and transforms them into a cohesive package, keeping just enough intention chaos to highlight the sound Big Fear is all about.
‘Sisyphus’ is bouncy, grooving, and flows like a breeze has caught it. ‘Money’ is a distorted, raw, gritted slap; electrifying the atmosphere at every turn. ‘Beautiful Hands’ is cinematic and haunting, a story told without breaking eye contact, transfixing and restless.
Alice Edwards, fronting the band, explains the EP, “This EP is really a series of dialogues; each song has two figures moving the story forward- from the jailer of anxiety and the prisoner of the self in Mildew, the surgeon and the influencer in Money, to the fascist and the lover in Culture Cannibal. Each pair represents an issue affecting contemporary culture, the mental health crisis British youth face, the onslaught of unattainable beauty standards and those who seek to profit from them, and the unending cycle of extremist politics throughout history. All issues that loom, and seem hopeless for an individual to face alone.”
Alongside multi-instrumentalists Jack Wilkinson and Ben Crone, its sound is informed, fresh, and draws you in wherever possible. This has been picked by tastemakers across the spectrum. Big Fear is unafraid, bringing noise and theatrics with them.
Listen to the EP below:
