by David Anthony (@DBAnthony)
In 2016, Tallahassee, Florida’s Ex-Breathers broke-up, but it didn’t take long for David Settle to find something new to occupy his time. Along with his roommates Geoff Perkins (bass) and Ronnie Francisco (drums), the trio started Big Heet, a band that retains parts of the post-hardcore approach that informed Ex-Breathers without merely retreading the same ground. One listen to “Flint,” the lead single from the band’s debut album On A Wire, shows a band going even further back into hardcore’s past. While Devo is an obvious reference point for “Flint,” it’s easy to contextualize the band in the present moment, at once sounding like bands such as Coneheads, Liquids, Booji Boys, or even Ausmuteants. Guitars jitter nervously atop the song’s wiry frame, serving as a bracing burst of fury that recalls hardcore’s gestational age.
Fittingly, the band draws influence from the modern political climate in th same way the best punk bands always have. Of the song, the band says: "It’s easy to become overwhelmed by our inability to change anything politically when the elected are okay with poisoning their own constituents and destroying the land. From the water crisis in Flint, and the pipelines at Standing Rock and Sabal Palm, to the mass polluting of South Florida waters by Big Sugar companies (many of whom are top financial supporters of our highest-powered state politicians), it's obvious that many in power care more about the corporate hands in their pockets than the lives they’re meant to represent."
Those issues come bubbling up in “Flint,” a song that rages against the hubris and destruction brought on by a capitalist society, one that violates basic human rights for the sake of profit margins. It’s a rager of a song, and one that demands repeat listens. And that’s something all of On A Wire achieves, toting a handful of insurgent anthems that are endlessly replayable.
Big Heet's On A Wire is out October 20th via Exploding In Sound Records, the latest edition to the EIS Tape Club.