Review: BIG|BRAVE ‘in grief or in hope’
OK, so here we are, it’s 2026, and BIG|BRAVE have just released another trailblazing opus for their already impressive catalogue.
Filled with the now synonymous soundscapes that only this band can purvey so eloquently, it is once again no easy task to pick apart the work into smaller areas to share with you. If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed with this band, if you are looking for awkward and disjointed, then look no further; BIG|BRAVE have got you covered.
Never an easy listen, if anything, as they’ve evolved, their sound has gotten more abrasive, to the point of being barely audible. Experimenting in sound and tone, they manage to successfully navigate a path which is as precise as it is chaotic.
Having been a fan of the band for quite some time now, I’ve had the luxury of getting to cover their work, both on record and in a live setting. I believe it’s three, maybe four times live, and easily the last three albums I’ve been there, front and centre, giving my thoughts along the way.
Now, personally, I don’t think I’m clever or eloquent enough to fully articulate just what it is that the band do that resonates with me so completely. I don’t have enough muso terms in my skillset to truly cover appropriately how I see the band and what they are trying to convey sonically. Perhaps I do, but there will always be some artists who defy real definition in their work, and that’s never truer than with BIG|BRAVE.
I think it’s easier to just say that they are a ‘band’s band’ and leave it there. I feel like unless you can resonate and appreciate from a shared experience, you will never fully grasp what is being achieved and will settle for the lesser notion of ‘I just really fucking like this, and I don’t quite know why’.
On the new album in grief or in hope, we are given a real-time glimpse of them at their most devastating. This isn’t music for the weak of heart; it is bitterly heartbreaking in its essence, right down to its core. It always feels as if it’s going to freefall into complete catastrophe at any given moment, which is as anxiety-inducing as it is chest-poundingly euphoric.
Over the course of the eight songs, spanning almost forty-five minutes, there is never really a moment of real respite to recompose. It’s a tough adventure in sound, and a far cry from their first few releases.
They truly are one of a kind, art in its purest, truest form – primal, guttural, beautiful…
Now performing as a four-piece, the addition of Liam Andrews to the mix (after having been the long-time touring bassist) has heightened the tension even further, and this can be heard in abundance throughout. It gives the sound an extra layer of depth and manages to make the dynamic somewhat more akin to those live shows. The thing is, you can never tell where the journey is going to take you, and even after multiple listens, it’s still a revelation.
Tracks such as a shape of shameshow us BIG|BRAVE 2.0. It’s instantly recognisable, but at the same time, it’s ten times more imposing. Pained vocals entwined with wailing guitars make for an uncomfortable yet engaging affair. The slow, broken drone feels claustrophobic and suffocating. It is the band at their best – literally crushing.
holding tongue teases us with a more restrained and muted sonnet, but it is swiftly broken by the following piece, verdure, where the lurch unfolds into a ridiculously monstrous outpouring of angst and bile before dropping back into nothingness.
Elsewhere an uttering of antipathy shows exactly why they are as revered as they are. Simply put, if the crushing of your soul is what’s been ordered, then a crushed soul is what you are getting. It’s ferocity is devastating and proves that you don’t necessarily need the amps up to eleven to deliver a brutalised end result – just a thirst to create and perform something which can encapsulate that very experience with the minimum of fuss.
Even on the album’s closing title track, in grief or in hope, the desire to decimate is ever-present. Slow in pace, monumental in scope, this parting shot hits like a juggernaut.
One thing that is apparent throughout is the lack of percussion on this newest venture. It is guitar-heavy, and while understanding the necessity for it to be so and accepting that maybe drums would have muddied the mix too much, it is noticeable by its absence. Not that it takes away from the overall record; it’s just a willing sacrifice, I guess, for the bigger picture.
Either way, it’s yet another triumph and will unsurprisingly be on my end-of-year top albums list for sure. No one quite does it like BIG|BRAVE to such devastating effect. They truly are one of a kind, art in its purest, truest form – primal, guttural, beautiful.
Label: Thrill Jockey Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
