It’s fair to say, summer is over. With the heatwaves of July and August a distant memory and a typical drab autumn taking root, it is time to look nostalgically back at the long nights that have filled the last few months. ‘Birdfeeder’ is the perfect accompaniment.
A band name like Big Awesome is nothing if not a statement of intent, and brings with it its own set of expectations. As soon as opener ‘Grey’s Birthday’ kicks off proceedings with the lines “Cruising to the island tonight, me and the boys have got nothing better to do”, all fears are put to rest. This is music for sitting on the beach with a crate of beer and your mates. The gang vocals in the title track only serve to reinforce ‘Birdfeeder’s position as the musical equivalent of a bro-hug.
That’s not to say the EP is one-dimensional in its execution, as Big Awesome manage to fit in a surprising amount of diversity in its eleven-minute duration. ‘Drawing a Line in the Sand’ opens with a slow-burning twinkle that eventually erupts into a full-blown melodic punk explosion, offering the kind of elation that only such simple pleasures can bring.
While unashamedly twinkly emo, ‘Birdfeeder’ successfully manages to avoid the pitfalls of misery and shoegazing that plague many of Big Awesome’s contemporaries. With melodies and riffs both big and awesome, chalk this one up as a mission accomplished.
TOM CONNICK