{"id":8500,"date":"2015-08-10T15:00:42","date_gmt":"2015-08-10T15:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-big-awesome-party-on\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:11","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:11","slug":"album-review-big-awesome-party-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-big-awesome-party-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Big Awesome – Party On"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
\nIt\u2019s almost impossible to dislike a band called Big Awesome<\/b>. Just say that name to yourself, over and over again. Fun, right? It just sounds like all the best parties you\u2019ve ever been to rolled into one teen coming-of-age movie. <\/figure>\n

And then look at the cover art for \u2018Party On\u2019<\/i>. Bloody great isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s absurd and daft and a little bit \u2018what the fuck?!\u2019. You\u2019re rooting for Big Awesome<\/b> before a note has even been struck. <\/p>\n

Foliage by Big Awesome<\/a><\/figure>\n

Unsurprisingly, \u2018Party On\u2019<\/i> doesn\u2019t quite match this build up, but it\u2019s still a prime slice of emo-tinged indie-punk. Instead, the band have crafted an enjoyable debut full-length that has cult classic written all over it. <\/p>\n

Opener, the brilliantly titled \u2018What Grows Up Must Get Down\u2019<\/i> kicks things off with a furious rolling drumbeat and a chorus that\u2019s designed for sweaty dive clubs. Throw in some glorious guitarlines and you\u2019ve got a Menzingers-lite anthem that is as good an opening song as you\u2019re gonna hear all year. <\/p>\n

Both \u2018Hooper\u2019<\/i> and \u2018Wolf\u2019<\/i> add further dimensions to their sound. \u2018Wolf\u2019<\/i> in particular marries punchy punk and delicate emo together beautifully, with John Blanken\u2019s vocals straining throughout. Better still, \u2018Foliage\u2019 has this sexy riff that is just off the scale. It\u2019s completely unexpected, but hits home beautifully. Married with Blanken\u2019s pleading vocals it means \u2018Foliage\u2019 is a genuine show-stopper. <\/p>\n

After that, and with a blueprint well and truly established over these opening 4 songs, \u2018Party On\u2019<\/i> is a romp that entertains but does little to change up the sound. It\u2019s frantic yet well-measured, enjoyable but not outstanding. \u2018To Live And Die In The Dirty South\u2019<\/i> comes armed with a top-notch chorus to keep your interest piqued, while \u2018Birdfeeder Pt. II (The Reckoning)\u2019 <\/i> is a sprawling patchwork of peaks and valleys which adds some much needed light and shade. <\/p>\n

But for all its excellent points \u2013 and there are many \u2013 \u2018Party On\u2019<\/i> is something of an anomaly. <\/p>\n

I should love it \u2013 it hits all the right buttons for me to absolutely adore it. Lyrically it\u2019s pretty much perfect, it walks the ideal line between indie, emo and punk, and guitarist Colin Czerwinski and Blanken excel throughout, having crafted some really excellent songs. Yet it just doesn\u2019t connect with me as much as I\u2019d like or hope. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s like finding yourself in the friend zone when you want something more. You just want to scream “I’m so right for you!”<\/i> but you know such actions are futile. That\u2019s how I feel about \u2019Party On\u2019<\/i>. Big Awesome<\/b> have made an album lots of people will love \u2013 and rightly so \u2013 but it\u2019s just not quite awesome enough for me for me to get down to. <\/p>\n

3.5\/5<\/p>\n

\u2019Party On\u2019<\/i> by Big Awesome<\/b> is out now on Jetsam-Flotsam<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Big Awesome<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s almost impossible to dislike a band called Big Awesome. Just say that name to yourself, over and over again. Fun, right? It just sounds like all the best parties you\u2019ve ever been to rolled into one teen coming-of-age movie. And then look at the cover art for \u2018Party On\u2019. Bloody great isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[4950,4399,4951,15022],"class_list":["post-8500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-big-awesome","tag-jetsam-flotsam","tag-party-on","tag-rob-mair"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Big Awesome - Party On - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s almost impossible to dislike a band called Big Awesome. 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