Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
Since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2023, Brighton alt-rockers really big really clever have established themselves as a rip-roaring live act, playing alongside the likes of Sweet Pill, Have Mercy, and Tigercub. Their sophomore release, ‘…huh’, feels like a serious attempt to grow and develop their sound. The band describe their music as a “blend of grunge, indie, punk, and emo”. This is certainly true for ‘…huh’, resulting in a record that sounds like someone injected early Biffy Clyro with a needle full of skate punk.
‘…huh’ kicks off with the short, instrumental ‘intro’; although at less than a minute this is more of an appetiser for the single ‘back door’. It’s ‘back door’ which feels like the real introduction to the album, a grungy number built around a central riff. At its heart, ‘back door’ is a play on dynamics, holding on to a simple core and interacting with it in a complex and catchy fashion.
Lead single ‘floss is boss’ hits next. A quieter, emo opening belies the fact that this is one of the punkier songs on the record. That’s not to say it’s a straightforward punk song – only three songs deep and really big really clever are letting their audience know to stay on their toes, as the bridge opens up into a massive half time section that allows for one quick breath.
That open, half time space rears its head again in the chorus of ‘the middle’. It’s another single that seems to cross genres like blending watercolours, with parts shifting seamlessly between rhythms and dynamics, all hooked around that anthemic chorus.
‘no respect for knights’ is a darker, punchier number. The vocals are subdued, even ghostly at times, the instrumentals characteristically chaotic. It’s one of the songs on ‘…huh’ that brings the Biffy Clyro reference to mind, although really big really clever have their own distinctive strains that take hold of ‘no respect for knights’ early on and don’t let go.
Perhaps that point of reference is primed by ‘no respect for knights’ by the previous two songs, ‘pitiful’ and ‘i was an idiot’. Both evoke that off-kilter yet melodic unpredictability of albums like ‘Infinity Land’. It’s fair to say that whether this is a direct influence on really big really clever or not, there’s a shared genetic makeup between the two bands that makes ‘…huh’ exciting to listen to throughout.
‘…huh’ ends on ‘back and forth’. It’s slow, dark, and twice as long as anything that appeared on the debut album. It’s a raw, emotional ending that is played straight. Alongside earlier song ‘i will’, this is really big really clever flexing their emo muscles. Beautifully textured and still unafraid to develop its dynamics with a sense of play, ‘back and forth’ is a perfect send off to the record.
As follow-ups go, it’s hard to imagine a more successful outing than ‘…huh’. really big really clever have taken everything that made their debut stand out and allowed it to grow with confidence. Genres come and go by the second, summoned like breezes that steer every song into fresh territories. In a just world, ‘…huh’ would be enough to establish really big really clever as mainstays of the British alt-rock scene.
WILL BRIGHT
‘…huh’ kicks off with the short, instrumental ‘intro’; although at less than a minute this is more of an appetiser for the single ‘back door’. It’s ‘back door’ which feels like the real introduction to the album, a grungy number built around a central riff. At its heart, ‘back door’ is a play on dynamics, holding on to a simple core and interacting with it in a complex and catchy fashion.
Lead single ‘floss is boss’ hits next. A quieter, emo opening belies the fact that this is one of the punkier songs on the record. That’s not to say it’s a straightforward punk song – only three songs deep and really big really clever are letting their audience know to stay on their toes, as the bridge opens up into a massive half time section that allows for one quick breath.
That open, half time space rears its head again in the chorus of ‘the middle’. It’s another single that seems to cross genres like blending watercolours, with parts shifting seamlessly between rhythms and dynamics, all hooked around that anthemic chorus.
‘no respect for knights’ is a darker, punchier number. The vocals are subdued, even ghostly at times, the instrumentals characteristically chaotic. It’s one of the songs on ‘…huh’ that brings the Biffy Clyro reference to mind, although really big really clever have their own distinctive strains that take hold of ‘no respect for knights’ early on and don’t let go.
Perhaps that point of reference is primed by ‘no respect for knights’ by the previous two songs, ‘pitiful’ and ‘i was an idiot’. Both evoke that off-kilter yet melodic unpredictability of albums like ‘Infinity Land’. It’s fair to say that whether this is a direct influence on really big really clever or not, there’s a shared genetic makeup between the two bands that makes ‘…huh’ exciting to listen to throughout.
‘…huh’ ends on ‘back and forth’. It’s slow, dark, and twice as long as anything that appeared on the debut album. It’s a raw, emotional ending that is played straight. Alongside earlier song ‘i will’, this is really big really clever flexing their emo muscles. Beautifully textured and still unafraid to develop its dynamics with a sense of play, ‘back and forth’ is a perfect send off to the record.
As follow-ups go, it’s hard to imagine a more successful outing than ‘…huh’. really big really clever have taken everything that made their debut stand out and allowed it to grow with confidence. Genres come and go by the second, summoned like breezes that steer every song into fresh territories. In a just world, ‘…huh’ would be enough to establish really big really clever as mainstays of the British alt-rock scene.
WILL BRIGHT