BIG SPECIAL - POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES

Sometimes, a band just catches the zeitgeist. They're able to speak in the voice of the masses, combine it with music that steals your attention, and subsequently rocket into the realm of 'next big thing' territory. Black Country punk poets BIG SPECIAL have done just that on debut album 'POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES'. Taking the pain and perpetuity of working-class life, adding flowing lyricism and contrasting them with hardcore drums, the duo have crafted a real piece of art.

In many ways, 'POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES' is a soundtrack to the Ken Loach film that never was, mirroring the heart and soul of a community forgotten by everyone outside it. The album twists and turns between massive punk-rock anthems like 'BLACK COUNTRY GOTHIC', 'DESPERATE BREAKFAST', and 'SHITHOUSE', cinematic journeys like 'DiG!', and raw poetic beauty in 'MY SHAPE (BLOCKING THE LIGHT)' and 'FOR THE BIRDS'. Joe Hicklin's vocals switch between raspy blues and spat-out spoken word, showcasing both his range and deep pride in his West Midlands accent. Combine this with Callum Moloney's water-tight drumming and electronic trickery, and you get an album that is brooding, intricate, and unquestionably an Album Of The Year list contender.

The album's subject matter effortlessly voices the personal and societal toll that 21st-century working-class life can take, using Joe's dealings with depression and self-doubt and extrapolating them out to make snarling, pointed attacks at a system designed to grind you down.

It's sheer brilliance from start to finish. "I'm gonna be a star mum, you'll see one day," Joe sings on 'BROADCAST: TIME AWAY'. He's right, and this album shows why. The word genius is thrown around too often in music, but this album shows there are still some left to discover.