Big Deal - June Gloom

by Dave Goodwin

published: 14 / 7 / 2013

Label: Mute Records
Format: CD

Fabulous second album from impressive Californian-London indie rock duo, Big Deal

Review

So, what can I tell you about Big Deal then? Well, they like ice cream! They have over ten thousand likes on Facebook. And they have recorded for themselves a tidy little album here too. Big Deal, which consists of Kacey Underwood (guitar, vocals) and Alice Costelloe (vocals, guitar), now release their second album, ‘June Gloom’. It follows on from 2011's debut 'Lights Out', where it seems they succeeded in closing a few mouths after receiving a phenomenal amount of criticism pre-release. There certainly seems a lack of Big Deal information out there which can only fuel the intrigue into the pair’s relationship. That album was full of love lost lyrics about broken relationships. So much so that apparently many mistook Underwood and Costelloe as a couple. 'June Gloom' is a slight move upward from the last with the inclusion of drums and bass guitar, which gives a depth to the indie sound they have comfortably generated. The first track 'Golden Lights' lulls the listener into a false sense of security, with a single guitar riff slowly moving on to what ends in a crashing opening offering. . The first single from the album, 'In Your Car', has a more rocking sound, with its waspish swarming guitars building towards an infectious end. ‘June Gloom’ is very much a continuation on the themes of the first , putting a lot of emphasis on romantic nostalgia, no more so than on the crashing guitar jaunt of 'Call And I’ll Come'. It is not all crash and bang though. The duo show off a fine talent for slow numbers with the strangely haunting but slightly angry 'Pillow', and the marvellous 'Pristine' with the acoustic guitar given some air a little further in. But it is not long before we are treated to their trademark scuzzy guitars and racing drum beats on tracks such as 'Teradactol'. Big Deal have progressed from that first album and seem to be on the right path. The Ting Tings got somewhere with their boy-girl sound, but somehow they were not taken seriously enough to stand the test of time. This outing should strengthen the foundations already laid by the pair, and also give them a ladder to the next platform. It will be worth waiting to see if they decide to step up to it.

Track Listing:-

1 Golden Light
2 Swapping Spit
3 In Your Car
4 Dream Machines
5 Call and I'll Come
6 Teradactol
7 Pristine
8 Pillow
9 Catch Up
10 Little Dipper
11 PG
12 Close Your Eyes