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Photo Credit:
Henry Langston
March 2, 2023| RELEASE REVIEW

Big Hug – Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time | EP Review

In times of global turmoil such as these, we could all do with a loving embrace. Some TLC if you will, to distract us from the fact that Earth seems to be slipping off it’s axis. Thankfully, Big Hug are here to envelop us with some brilliant emo that bridges the past and present.

The debut EP from the London three-piece, Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time is five lamentations on the unique blend of existentialism that greets one as they transition into their thirties. As those who have been dragged kicking and screaming into the banality of middle age will certainly know, such a subject isn’t of comfort. But with this record’s earnest vulnerability, relatable lyricism, engaging delivery and it’s brilliant dichotomy between modern and classic emo, Big Hug narrate this matter in a fashion that’s not just reassuring, but haplessly lovable.

Opener ‘Raise The Bar’ swiftly and effortlessly underpins both thematic and musical components of this record. Reminiscent of fellow DIY indie-punk upstarts Muttering and Buds. whilst harkening thoughts of those acts that initially laid the ground work of what consistent as brilliant modern emo – such as Fiddlehead and Balance And Composure – the track is a brilliant and zesty showcase of Big Hug’s influences. The proceeding brilliantly titled ‘Guinness Paltrow’ and ‘Danny Is The Greatest Lover’ furthers this whilst placing emphasis on the dichotomy at the crux of Big Hug’s sound. Whilst these tracks are driven by zesty and bouncing riffs that emit a profound of adolescent energy, the overarching theme of this EP musically is sense of subtle resigned languor. Whether it be an initial decision or not, this sense of sly contrast brilliantly mirrors the lyrical subject of wanting to attempting to retain one’s youth through the passing of years and the cascading of birthdays. The aforementioned ‘Danny Is The Greatest Lover’ is a brilliant example of this, with it’s slight post-hardcore fretwork countering the modern and mature emo delivery of the track.

Full of charismatic charm, effortless genre dynamism and contrasting values in regards to delivery and energy

The latter half of Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time is where Big Hug do present some of their most dynamic songwriting however. In vein of the original acts that once drafted the emo blueprint, it’s on the title track and ‘All Yours’ where Big Hug introduce blossoms of math rock into their melting pot of emo motifs. Such inclusions aren’t shoehorned however, and nor or they alienating. If anything, this inclusion of tendencies associated with the midwest emo sound only further place further emphasis on how Big Hug have already established such a broad sound on their first real body of work. With such math motifs present comparable to that of Redwood, I Feel Fine and Sleep Outside, such inclusions are critically ensnaring and add further vitality to the band’s already sublime songwriting. It’s almost remarkable, in fact, how the band have flawlessly implemented such an inclusion into their sound; as these flourishes of technical fretwork only further highlight the various blends of emo constructing this EP, they further bolster such blends without compromising the solid song song structures presented in the first arc.

In all, Big Hug is what we all need right now. Full of charismatic charm, effortless genre dynamism and contrasting values in regards to delivery and energy, Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time truly is an embrace courtesy of a band that clearly, inarguably, has a solid future ahead of them. Haplessly lovable, those with an interest in emo – regardless of the style – will find plenty to resonate with here.

Score: 9/10


Big Hug