Somewhere in the sticky crosshairs of punk, hip-hop, funk, and indie rock, lie London-based duo BIG SPECIAL: Joe Hicklin and Callum Moloney. They have just released NATIONAL AVERAGE., their second full-length album. This album marks an ascent to fiery post-punk dance-able tracks, while staying true to the group’s witty remark-driven lyrics and unique production. This album focuses on the bonds of brotherhood, times of reckoning with change, and the shared existential threads that unite us all.
While their debut album from last year, POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES, was about desperation and hope, this album violently grips those themes, devolving them to mere ideas to be railed over and conquered. Lead singer Joe Hicklin describes NATIONAL AVERAGE. as “an album about the multitudes of a normal life as it begins to change. It’s about the stages of reflection on an average life as it moves further away. It’s about personal and political problems remaining the same as a life changes around them and they all begin to weave together.”
Throughout the album’s 13 tracks, spoken word drenched in black humor is met with a variety of background instruments on the production. Twangy and plucking guitars heard on “HUG A BASTARD.” and “PROFESSIONALS.” bring a playfulness to the music, while the alternate reverb-loaded guitar sounds heard on “YESBOSS.” show the flip side of the coin: anger, energy, chaos. Cruising electronic drones and arpeggiators woven into other tracks propel the album into quasi-cosmic territory, injecting both tension and momentum. Sparse arrangements and horns featured on “DOMESTIC BLISS.” and “THE BEAST.” punctuate moments of introspection, offering brief respites among the glitchy intensity percussion and distorted bass. Samples on “SHOP MUSIC.” flashes the sonic frying pan back to reality.
Across the record, these textures coalesce into an unpredictable and exciting work that mirrors the album’s blend of black humor and underlying unease. Whether it’s the jittery drum programming sprinkled throughout the tracks or the subterranean low end heard on the album’s opener “THE MESS.”, each sonic choice reinforces the record’s restless spirit, keeping listeners off-balance and fully immersed.
NATIONAL AVERAGE. cements BIG SPECIAL’s reputation as fearless genre-benders who balance razor-sharp wit with unmatched sonic experimentation. By fusing punk’s urgency, hip-hop’s swagger, funk’s groove, and indie rock’s introspection, Joe Hicklin and Callum Moloney chart the turbulent collision of brotherhood, political absurdity, and personal reckoning. In confronting change, whether it be battling it, dancing with it, or owning it, BIG SPECIAL prove that even the most familiar existence can be reconfigured into something unpredictable and vital. NATIONAL AVERAGE. dares you to live through every moment, to question your own normality, and to find unity in the chaos.
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