The Big Moon’s second album is a glimpse of hope in this dystopic present we live. That’s a bold statement someone could say. Well, let’s take a look at what’s happening in the world right now by writing keywords; Trump, Brexit, Iran, wildfires, climate change. Does anyone still have a doubt? That’s what I expected. But what The Big Moon have to do with that? Well, when you play a record with references in Grenfell Tower, social injustice and the anxiety of getting older (Matt Berninger, do you listen?), The Big Moon is a glimpse of hope.
And that is what this record is all about: Hope. Walking Like We Do may be their second album; however, the band’s growth in such a small space of time is huge. Sonically the album departs from the sounds of their debut. Guitars got replaced by piano and flute, and that’s not a bad thing — the opposite. The new sound is in complete harmony with the lyrics. Reality is loud and scary enough; we need calmness in our headphones.
The London quartet proves that worked a lot during the past few years, and their choice of Ben Allen as a producer was genius. Someone can easily find influences from Franz Ferdinand to Cat Power and Sharon Van Etten in a perfect balance. They still experiment, and that’s obvious. On the other hand, this is an album you need to hear because it’s mostly about feeling it. And we need to start feeling things instead of staying sentimentally numb.
Walking Like We Do is an album that deserves your time if you consider you feel overwhelmed by everything that happens around us. If not, this record will probably make you more sensitive, and that can never be a bad thing. Soph, Juliette, Celia and Fern – if you’re reading this – you did a great job growing.
Rating: ★★★★☆
The Big Moon’s second album Walking Like We Do is released tomorrow – Friday 10th January, and is available to order now.
