Angular, female fronted rock bands have been making decent headway recently. Groups such as Speedy Ortiz, headed by the wonderfully biting Sadie Dupuis, strive forward in a snowball of bristling static, distorted ecstasy and a degree of vulnerability female vocals seem to be able to combine so much better than their male counterparts. Little Big League match their contemporaries in terms of their brooding instrumentals and intense, boiling choruses. However, on their debut These Are Good People released last year, they provide an added injection of energy, of emotional dislocation, and ultimately weight in their performances. As a record which didn’t garner the following it deserves and unable to catch the attention others were able to acquire, what Little Big League offer is exactly what this lo-fi sort of garage-rock is meant to; handfuls of fury, desire and heartbreak in equal measure, and in lead singer Michelle Zauner, a true voice for those residing in the lost and found.
Opener “Lindsey” is an anthem for devotion and desperation; as Zauner stretches herself over the line “Lindsey, Lindsey be mine,” the compassion laid to bear is consuming. It drags you in, and in a little over four minutes you are similarly longing for Lindsey to want you too. The bright, jagged guitars cloak the vocals in an added veil of unpredictability, and while it never completely loses its course, the feral nature of the track makes it exhilarating. This particular strand of Little Big League’s compound can however be best seen on “Sportswriting,” a track of such wild beauty it escapes any qualifying adjectives. Post a minute or so of static, Zauner kicks in, band in tow, and proceeds to offer the best chorus I have had the luck to stumble across in quite some time. Its unkept passion, particularly second time around, is the most addictive, heart-wrenching display you will come across for a while, believe me. Narrating the tale of a girl whose life has gone off the rails amid an ever-changing swirl of gritty guitars and driving drum beats, the track eventually descends into an expanse of slower, more accepting tones and lyrics, expressing the sense of emotional retirement our subject in question would surely be enduring. What “Sportswriting” presents best for me is the underlying intellect which Little Big League are able to induce, both lyrically and musically. For a band for whom this was their first full-length, the awareness of Zauner’s observations and storytelling capabilities is stunning, as is the band’s ability to compliment her every breath.
The energy which feeds from the tracks is tailor-made for small, packed live sets, and Zauner’s ability to dictate a sense of pace and aggression is one of the most enticing features of the record. The tension built by the band, generally via slower, less intense verses, is what allows them to crank up the pressure with such efficiency. “Dark Matter” sees Zauner spend the majority of her time drifting on a smooth ride through the verses and choruses, before exhibiting a greater sense of urgency towards the tail end of the song. However, the band aren’t afraid to wear their more pop-orientated sensibilities on their sleeves either. “Summer Wounds” is deliciously infectious, despite its constant threat of blowing into something bigger, featuring a gorgeous mix of the crunch and glistening of the two guitars, with just enough bite to stop it losing its edge. ‘My Very Own You’ similarly feels like it has been trimmed and rounded into something smoother than the majority of tracks here, and is the closest the band come to their more folk-inspired contemporaries in the vein of Laura Stevenson. Maintaining a decent tune and something more sustainable amid the rubble is not something which comes easy, but is certainly something Little Big League exhibit in abundance on this record.
Zauner and co. however aren’t content however to stick to a formula, and although their sound is already instantly recognisable, there is no room for repetition. “Settlers” perhaps represents this best, exploring a sense of space which other tracks prefer to fill. Zauner similarly allows her vocals to become more consumed in the chorus, lending itself as a backing sound to the other instrumentation. The switch from the purely instrumental, math-esque first half into the one verse, one chorus ending similarly exhibits a sense of experimentation on the band’s behalf, and the result is a track which revels in its own atmospheric conception. “Tokyo Drift” presents Zauner at her most reflective in her delivery. Absent are any of the flashes of menace; here, she is absorbed in her own recollections, accompanied by a sumptuous twin guitar line and accepting drum piece, never pushing the track too far, allowing Zauner to take her time. Some static finds its way in towards the end, before the song slips into the albums closer, “Never Have I Walked Away When The Time Was Right.” Again, the band voluntarily open their hearts in a display of acute passion more subdued than on other tracks, but just as present. The song builds pace, and noise, as it reaches its climax, before it suddenly drops silent. And then? Nothing. No desire to hang around, no extra note required. These Are Good People has given all it needs to give, and is off before its welcome is overstayed. The way it should be done.
With a current tour taking place, as well as a few intermittent dates with Seahaven, Adventures and Foxing, Little Big League are not a band which has totally slipped under the radar. They are however a band which deserves a building sense of recognition and appraisal, especially on the back of this wonderful debut. These Are Good People is a record, which people will do more than like. It’s an album people will love; with a mix of intelligence combined with more base appeals, such as its gravelly choruses and punchy guitar tones, it allows itself to attach itself to a variety of experiences, and remain a feature in its listener’s life. It’s certainly a welcoming inclusion to mine, and bodes well for the at least the potential future of this special, special band.
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