Melbourne fellows Big Smoke have been making quite an impression these last few years. Armed with a killer sound that sits between pop, rock and folk, straight to the point lyrics and frontman Adrian Slattery’s impressive cookie duster, the band have gone from strength to strength. Their journey has led them to their latest EP Lately, and today they’re premiering the first cut from the record with the title track.
Melbourne’s Big Smoke continue their trend of writing great songs with their latest single Lately, a tale of angst, jealousy and acceptance.
Like the band’s previous work Lately dances between the lines of different genres. More often than not such a thing would result in a hot, sticky mess (don’t google that) but the Smokes know how to craft a good song and put their diverse influence to good use. The melody is just as catchy as always, the changing tempos sure to keep you on your toes. It goes without saying the band have a tendency to write songs that are an encapsulating experience, the changes in pace throughout Lately really takes you for a ride.
Which is appropriate given the angst ridden lyrics of the song. We saw something similar to that in the band’s previous single Try A Little Love, but whilst that number dealt more with forlorn aspects of love, Lately is perpetuated with feelings of discontent and hints of jealousy. Wherein lies one of the most attractive qualities of Big Smoke; their honesty. There are no head scratching metaphors or grand uses of hyperbole. It works for some people but Big Smoke keep it simple and they get their story across with little fuss and plenty of sincerity.
“Baby I’ve seen you before/ But I don’t know you anymore or just who you’re trying to be/ Heavy heart and a heavy head/ You’re in the arms of another man and it gets so hard to see” laments Slattery half hopeful, half defeated. It’s a feeling anyone who has stared heartbreak in the eye has had to feel and it hits its target without fail. The pulsing drums and bass skip along, bubbling away as the angst continues to build, coming to a head halfway through the song. The guitar solo that bleeds through and Slattery’s animated vocal reprise dial the intensity up, before settling into a sunny pop rendition, almost as if to concede that love is one that is lost and must be let go.
Lately is a song that has a story to tell and it’s a story worth listening to. It may only be the first taste of the forthcoming EP, but it’s a promising one that has us excited to hear what Big Smoke have in store for us next. Lately will be released through First Love and Shock Records on August 14.
You can catch the band when they support Kittey, Daisy & Lewis on tour in August.
Saturday August 1 – The Metro, Sydney
Sunday August 2 – 170 Russell, Melbourne
Tuesday August 4 – The Gov, Adelaide