Following on from 2021’s Daisy and 2022’s Me And You, Wing concludes Big Scary’s album trilogy exploring expectation versus reality in love and relationships.
“When you love something you can’t explain/ Don’t hold it up to the flame…” – Something To Remember, this album’s tantalising opening calling card, embodies love’s sweet surrender before closing with a heartening promise: “I will come back to you.”
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As always, Tom Iansek’s gossamer falsetto lingers like a delicious scent and when drummer Jo Syme joins in for the unison singing sections, their vocal blend intoxicates. Sleigh bells, furiously fast maracas, crisp handclaps, hushed vocal percussion, distant windchimes, glockenspiel, bubbling synth, what sounds like cueing up a reel-to-reel tape recorder – every single meticulous instrumental detail serves an essential purpose throughout Wing.
Built from measured, wonky synth chords, What’s It All About incorporates a chirpy whistling solo that’s somehow not annoying. Featuring manipulated spoken-word segments – “And every night I lay in my listless state/ Poised/ Docile/ Ever awake…” – Perfect World is a sonic outlier within this set, with quivering strings evoking a ship tossed around like a toy in rough seas.
Elsewhere: Ideal describes the addictive magnetic pull of physical attraction, Falling From A Mountain was inspired by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’s closing scene – where Yu Jiaolong dives off a bridge and gently floats down into the mist below – and closer A Ribbon To Hold Us chronicles a one-sided relationship.
Even pedestrian routines such as making tea are elevated into profound, aspirational activities thanks to Big Scary’s extraordinary worldbuilding. From start to finish, we’re captivated by the all-encompassing, soaring beauty of Wing.
LABEL: PIEATER
RELEASE DATE: 16 FEB.
