User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
- Summary: The debut full-length release from British punk duo Big Special was written during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Record Label: So Recordings
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 6 out of 6
-
Mixed: 0 out of 6
-
Negative: 0 out of 6
-
May 13, 2024‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’ is not the soothing salve for a country tearing itself apart. Instead, it is the molotov cocktail and lighter threatening to ignite the people into taking action.
-
May 9, 2024Blending the raw energy of punk with the gritty realism of folk, the result being a potent double pint of catharsis and confrontation. There’s seemingly several albums worth of material on display, from industrial poetry to showmanship indie, held together by its narrative which howls to the struggles of the everyman, from the depths of addiction to the despair of a nation in decline.
-
May 9, 2024Opener ‘Black Country Gothic’ captures the spirit of the Midlands duo’s debut and whole aesthetic. Your shouty punk lads and talky artsy bands are 10-a-penny, but there’s a bluesy depth here.
-
May 9, 2024In ‘Postindustrial Hometown Blues’ they tell their story, but it’s a universal one. The sense of joy in using lyrics to express emotions is palpable, as is their humour. The duo use their musicality, shifting between soul and blues, punk and passion.
-
MojoMay 14, 2024It's an entirely cohesive record, brimming with energy, invention, humour, lived experience, nifty playing and earwormy melodies: all things that make up a great debut album. [Jul 2024, p.88]
-
UncutMay 9, 2024The result is a highly engaging, emotionally rich debut, where defiant working-class pride anthems like “Dig!” jostle for space alongside the soaring urban blues confessional “This Here Ain’t Water” and the joyously puerile playground chant “Shithouse”. [Jun 2024, p.29]