by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
After a four year absence, Brooklyn's Big French have returned with their sophomore album, Stone Fish, a stunning new collection of the band's idiosyncratic lo-fi pop. Due out May 26th via Wharf Cat Records (vinyl) and Ramp Local (cassette), the record pulls away from the chaos of Downtown Runnin for a dreamier approach to their ramshackle psych pop, captured with the warmth of reel-to-reel tape. The band's combination of post-punk, bedroom pop, and discordant freak-folk swirls together with orchestrated clarity, offering a great deal of nuance to be discovered with each listen while the songwriting works at immediate attraction.
"Stone Fish," the album's title track is a great reintroduction. It's washed out and fuzzy, but the band's wacky sense of wonder is as radiant as ever. With a quietly building intro of chiming cymbals, symphonic splashes of synth, and a singular bass line, Quentin Moore sings "Stone fish, you said they're made of rock, how come they can talk?" his voice rising to a deadpan exclamation. As the song evolves, the arrangements thicken, delving further into the a free-form landscape of improvised guitar squeals that dart around Moore's melodies, simultaneously creating the calm before the storm and the storm itself. "Stone Fish" will be on your mind for days to come.
Big French's Stone Fish is due out May 26th via Wharf Cat and Ramp Local.