BIG SPECIAL
POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES
So Recordings
Release Date: 10/05/2024
Pre-order
*****
I became familiar with Big Special during their support of Sleaford Mods during their UK Grim tour late last year, and have been somewhat obsessed since, having their already released singles on heavy rotation.
I had a lot of hope for this album after seeing them live, the Black Country duo are a force to be reckoned with on stage, high-energy, hard-hitting lyrics from Joe Hicklin, and exceptional drumming from Callum Moloney make for one hell of a performance.
Hicklin treats listeners to tonnes of thought-provoking spoken word poetry, with some soulfully sung sections sprinkled in for a great mix.
Postindustrial Hometown Blues is by far one of the greatest Debuts I have had the pleasure of listening to, and probably the greatest Album release of the year thus far. Stand-out tracks come in the form of "I Mock Joggers", already released single "Black Dog/White Horse", and "iLL", but there isn't a track on this album you'll want to skip, it's an unbelievably impressive piece of work.
Big special embark on a headline tour starting tomorrow in Liverpool, with the Leeds date taking place this coming Wednesday (8th May) at The Key Club. Tickets are running low, so do yourself a favour and get involved, you won't be seeing them in venues of this size for much longer! CLICK HERE for tickets.
Speaking on the Album, Joe Hicklin says:
DUST OFF / START AGAIN is a bolt of cursed vomit, spewed into a stewpot of English class issues regarding housing, ownership, mental illness, appropriation and human rights. It's about the disregard for the common man. And how it is expected of anyone, regardless of their situation, to carry on, struggle through and go to work. It's about how the privileged and powerful attempt to define, debate and justify the social positions of all whilst the ideals of our governing systems are pressed upon the working-class youth, so that they quietly accept their role as a commodity and place blame on each other, as they wave the flag that keeps them down.
Continuing on the album, he says:
POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES is an album about depression. It's about the different shapes it takes; personal, social, generational... and it's about coming face to face with those ghosts and what we do or how we feel when that happens. The album offers no answers, it is just an honest expression of a working-class experience in modern England through the eyes of ill mental health, a pursuit of art and political disenchantment; a story of rumination, realisation and reaction. POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES is about learning that we are connected by our common struggles and though dark and rageful, the album holds quiet sentiment of love and hope. It's about laughing at the face of the void, recognising its oppressive weight, holding hands and moving forward.
BIG SPECIAL - POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES - Tracklist
BLACK COUNTRY GOTHIC
I MOCK JOGGERS
DESPERATE BREAKFAST
SHITHOUSE
THIS HERE AIN'T WATER
MY SHAPE (BLOCKING THE LIGHT)
BLACK DOG / WHITE HORSE
BROADCAST: TIME AWAY
iLL
MONGREL
BUTCHER'S BIN
DUST OFF / START AGAIN
TREES
FOR THE BIRDS
DiG!
POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES Releases via So Recordings on Friday, 10th May 2024. CLICK HERE to pre-order.
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