Photo by Iona McLeod
Fronted by the magnetic Alice Edwards, nonbinary and asexual voice of a new alt-pop generation, Big Fear is crafting theatrical anthems for a fractured world. Alongside Jack Wilkinson and Ben Crone, they bring a caustic honesty to dissecting modern life. Plenty of radio and editorial backing is coming their way, they’re steadily unveiling pieces of their debut EP Career Day.
Their latest single is ‘Mildew’. Opening with dreamlike guitars and determined synths, the melodies follow and grow around a bewitching vocal performance. The sound is twitchy but crisp, delicately operatic but fretful in intimate fragility.
The lyricism explores anxiety and agoraphobia, confirming the sonics’ mystery as an echo of a suffocating battle of the mind. The airy yet claustrophobic sound still holds a mischievousness, though, adding an effective charm around the whole tapestry.
Alice shares, “Mildew is very much a dialogue between oneself and anxiety, with the view to explore how anxiety is a very limiting cage to one’s actions and behaviours, but the call is coming from inside the house – mental illness convinces you that your thoughts and behaviours are rational.”
Listen to ‘Mildew’!
