Big Huge: Explosive Power Pop

Call it the "pressure cooker effect": cramped, over-heated conditions that result in a tasty final product. It's an effect in full evidence on the new song "Can't Lie" from Brooklyn's Big Huge. The tune was written in a small, sweaty bedroom above a Bedstuy auto garage. It's the second single off their forthcoming self-released 7” called ORAMA—and you can practically see the sweat and steam glistening on the vinyl.

Dan Regelski’s power pop vocals occasionally hearken back to the syrupy-er moments of ‘50s rock n’ roll. And that's consistent with their founding DNA: the band began by covering golden-oldies at a ‘50s prom-themed party. But there’s that layer of grime, too—presumably from the band's nest above the garage. The guitars and drums drive the song forward with such hurtling energy that you could miss the fact that Big Huge is wearing its wild, bleeding heart on its lyrical sleeve. They sing about undeniable attraction, the kind of crush that takes years to get out your head.

In the two years since it started, Big Huge has taken its rowdy energy on three tours. As a band that has, since the beginning, specialized in making “big” things happen in small spaces, it’s probably not surprising that they recently organized an unofficial mini-fest at SXSW that was suitably muddy and chaotic. Oh, and: sweaty.