At long last, The Joy Formidable have dropped their debut album. Those who favour a heavier indie aesthetic will likely savour The Big Roar, even if the album presents a predictable enough emulation of the band’s total catalogue to date. To kick things off, a mess of firecracker snares enables a sinister ambiance to sneak into earshot. Here, The Big Roar takes flight, with a cynical, cinematic epic unfolding.
The opener’s sheer power is an element they often stoop to capture, Whirring concluding in an explosive sonic eruption. With so many lightning fast drum-kit flurries and crunching guitars in play, the band appear to be taking cues from instances of heavy metal. Fortunately, despite an abundance of distortion, they never lose sight of finely-tuned, focused ideas. Cradle emerges an obvious stand-out in this regard, true grit lending itself to powerful hooks as stop-start jabs of falsetto forge its backbone.
Though often raucous and larger than life, many of the album’s finest moments often arrive when the band stop short of a full-tilt output. When the charismatic Ritzy Bryan claims the spotlight, gold usually transpires. The Big Roar, true to its title, offers an incensed storm of alternative rock. Behind all of its savage bluster, however, exists satisfying song craft, ensuring the band’s long-awaited debut steps up to the plate.
Best track: Cradle
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Maps YEAH YEAH YEAHS, Howling Bells HOWLING BELLS
In A Word: Intense
