But regardless of their namesake, it’s safe to presume everyone who has been curiously drawn to their sound has found themselves becoming a part of their ever burgeoning fanbase. Obtaining just a few extended plays and standalone singles under their collective belt, the Dublin based two-piece Bicurious have become a vital component of the European post-rock scene, with their inventive, playful and downright rowdy take on the genre being a far cry from the stoic stereotypes of the genre. Showcasing the group’s irresistible approach to the genre even further is their long awaited debut LP (re)constructed, a record that directly counters the argument that post-rock is a stagnant genre.
The short interlude ‘Intro (Voices)’ opens the floor to the first proper track on the record ‘Like We Used To’, which stands as an infectiously danceable establishment of the manic and energetic zeal that binds this record. Constructed around a wriggling central riff that grooves and dances in odd positivity, the track is a buoyant and animated affair that harkens thoughts of Cleft, Alpha Male Tea Party, Last Hyena and Giraffes? Giraffes! in the fashion it crashes joyously through it’s breakdowns and joyous motifs. Lead single ‘Palapalapa’ continues this sense of raw fun in a way that’s reminiscent of the ever idiosyncratic Battles. With it’s sense of chemical intoxication and wild chanting, it’s almost akin something like a surrealist football chant, but except for the pot-bellied lager louts it’s for the types you find at subterranean noise shows and in the swamped fields of ArcTanGent. It’s totally wild, very strange and irresistibly enjoyable in the way it leans into a sense of unfiltered rawness.
“There’s some profound and rather poignant themes that's been buried under it’s giddy guise.”
The most exciting element of this record is that it’s clearly designed to be a fun excursion into the more danceable, experimental and hyper-energetic realms of the post-rock world. Despite this being a post-rock record at heart, elements of math-rock, turbo-prog and noise-rock jettison out of the overall sound of this album. There’s a whole host of elements intermingling on this record, but they have all been incorporated organically and streamlined into the ensnaring grooves, hooks and labyrinthine rhythms that serve as the backbone of this record. As proven on the crunchy ‘Deconstructed’ and the sprawling ‘Mercurial’, every track on this record features a hook that’s been constructed out of something new and fresh each time.
Yet despite the record’s overall fun sensibilities, there’s some profound and rather poignant themes to (re)constructed that’s been buried under it’s giddy guise. This isn’t just a collection of jams, but rather a depiction of the trails and issues that each member of Bicurious has faced in recent years. Firstly, it narrates the severe episode of psychosis that Gavin Purcell (Drums) suffered several years ago, and secondly, documents Taran Plouzané’s (guitar) experiences in becoming a father at the fresh-faced age of 23. These are hefty topics, ones that may not be noticeable at first, but laid bare within the record.
“Bicurious very much have their own identity, one of pure energy and sheer dynamism.”
Such topics are actually evident from the get go, with the soundbites within the aforementioned ‘Intro (Voices)’ being the sounds of psychiatrist intermixed with a newborn child. The gravity of this personal timeline drops with colossal weight on the curt fatalism of the aptly titled ‘We’re All Totally Fucked’ and the dizzyingly sporadic ‘I Can Hear Them Too’, which reprises the soundbites from the album’s intro all whilst playing into the utter mania of the record’s underpinning mood. Whilst this fantastically buoyant and energetic record may sound sonically manic, the real human struggle that birthed it is tangible and palpable, adding volumes of substance to this already deeply textured record.
But at the crux of it all, is very much is an experimental and wild ride into the haywire mind of a band that articulate their flair for instrumental dynamism in a way that’s haplessly energetic and enjoyable. Bicurious very much have their own identity, one of pure energy and sheer dynamism, and they realise it fantastically with this record. It’s essentially impossible not to be snared by the hooks that this album throws at you and it’s nigh on hopeless to fight against the endless amount of chasm-like grooves that form this wondrously left-field showcase of skill. This is both a record to mindlessly dance and escape to, whilst also being one to ponder it’s depth, musical aptitude and hefty topics. Regardless of one’s preconceived notions of the post-rock sound, this is abound to be enjoyed by anyone with a taste for experimental energy and fully lives up to the increasingly loud reputation that Bicurious have found themselves subject to in recent years.