Big Scaries Release A Concept EP That Feels So Real, It Can't Be Fiction
A beautiful new release from Big Scaries comes through as a concept record of sorts, consisting of three tracks that connect each other to a specific personality, and with that, they can paint pictures of a friendship between two people in such a fashion that the songs manage to put you there, in the moment with them.
One of the strangest aspects to this record is the way it feels nostalgic somehow.
I know that this comes from a lot of the lyrics and how the lyrics feel reminiscent.
The record is called Lucy In The Lighthouse, and each of the three tracks on this release is about Lucy.
Because the lyrics are painting those pictures and giving you this detail about what she wanted, how she felt, and where she'd been, you get somewhat attached to her.
This was very interesting for me because I find that certain records do have a lot of character to them, but it's always in first person. It's always from the personal perspective of the characters themselves.
If an artist or a band is singing about something, it's normally about what they want or have been through. It's about what they feel.
The beauty of a record like this is it's not about the singer per se. It's about the character. It's personal in third person. He himself is reminiscing and remembering the character in these songs.
You're getting the story about Lucy.
So, hopefully I explained that properly, but either way, this was brilliant because it is a concept record that is a little different. It thinks outside the box, but it still feels so sentimental, which is interesting because the first track is called "Lucy Is Sentimental".
This is a song reminiscing about someone reminiscing.
This is a beautiful intro to the EP and opens the door to some of the character's personality.
It's about growing old and looking back. There are so many things that go along with those. So many emotions come up when you're thinking about days passed.
I think this was captured really well. Again, from that third-person perspective, being about Lucy actually looking back on her life, this really puts you outside the box.
The instrumentation is very warm, and its tone. You have a gorgeous acoustic guitar that comes through with a lusciousness to it, along with a very spacious undertone, giving things a little bit of a cinematic push as well.
There are all kinds of notes floating through the background of the track. It feels and sounds like they're vocals and they're way back there, drenched in reverb effect, and giving the song more layers of depth.
"Lucy In The Lighthouse" is the following track, and this is the one that really paints even more of a picture. It's about a night of hanging out, Lucy brings the projector, and they watch movies all night.
Again, such vividly painted pictures that automatically cause visuals to pop up as you're listening.
Beautifully done.
She says she wants to live in a lighthouse.
So, as the songs unfold and you get deeper into Lucy's story and the story of the singer who spent the time, whether this is fictional or not, you simply cannot help but start looking back on your own life.
Memories automatically just start popping in.
This is what I mean by connective. Creating songs that tell such detailed stories in a way that makes everything feel like he's remembering moments that had an impact is brilliant.
It's impactful. It affects the listener. It affected me.
This track had an accordion and also came in with some incredible layers of textures that fell together in a wonderful and sort of elegant manner.
Final track, "Lucy Loves Anarchy", was a wonderful way to close the record out. Getting into more detail and showcasing a different side of Lucy, this one was packed with these catchy vocals that came in a unique style. At times, it made me think of REM and the way the singer Michael Stipe would layer vocals and perform.
This EP is like a love letter.
It's a love letter you don't want to miss because, although you know it's not for you, after all, it is very specific, you still feel like it is. It still somehow feels like this record was written about someone that you knew.
Maybe that's the point. Maybe we all knew someone we wish we could write a record about.
Maybe Lucy is completely fictional.
If Lucy is fictional, these guys did an outstanding job of making it seem like it was all real. I believed every second of it.
You should definitely listen to this record, and I, of course, advise you to listen to it all the way through from start to finish.
Again, this is a concept record about Lucy. It's only three tracks, so there's no reason to skip over any, and the whole thing is under 12 minutes in length.
It's crazy because within those 12 minutes, you get so much story and so much character that it feels like you lived it yourself.
It feels like you are reading a book.
This was definitely really cool. Don't miss this one.
Where did this record come from and what was it about?
This record came from a combination of childhood adventure and our sense of nostalgia. We often would play off each other’s memories and they come through in the lyrics. The story is basically a hodge podge of our experiences and a dash of fiction.
I am hearing a few different styles on this EP. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
The Middle East, an Australian indie band is one of our major influences we share. We’d also say Sufjan Stevens and Beirut. Dean pulls inspiration from Bright Eyes quite a bit while Gavin’s guitar work draws from traditional European and Latin American music.
Are you performing live right now?
Yes we are! We try to pick and choose our shows so they are special to us. Because of this we aren’t playing as often as most bands.
How did this all start for you as a band?
We both came from a deep love of songwriting and spent years sharing that in our friendship when we hung out. It came to head when we first wrote “Lucy is Sentimental”together and entered it into a songwriting contest.
Did you work with a producer on this EP, or was this all you?
We’ve worked exclusively with Ryan Jamgotch of Electric Moon Studios for all of our past and current releases. He’s basically the third member of the band at this point, giving us new perspectives on the songs and even playing some of the instrumentation in the recordings. He’s a great producer, engineer, and friend.
What's next for you? Working on more new releases?
We absolutely are! Our next EP follows a similar concept of nostalgia, but this time around it’s a coming-of-age story with the titular character tackling themes of grief and loss. The working title is “Margot’s Bloodlines”.
What kind of advice would you give to other up and coming bands or artists trying to get heard?
Make the music you want to hear, not what you think others want. Create spontaneously and give those creations grace, space, and time. You may return to an old idea you once hated and see it with kinder eyes.
What would you say people can expect to hear on this release?
The new EP will still live in the realm of folk, but it’s a much more realized sound. You could say we found our flow as songwriters together and the result is a product that represents the growth of our partnership.
Before we go, what would you want to express to fans of the music?
We are always humbled by anyone who lends an ear to our songs. We hope they find comfort or joy or any kind of powerful movement in themselves from the music, and that they are able to find their own interpretation through the lyrics. And we’re always happy to hear from people, so feel free to reach out.
