These gifts translated onto the stage where, from the outset, Big Scary proved themselves a remarkably fluid and compelling live act, capable of not only bringing their songs to life, but also of adapting their set to suit the moment.
In late 2008, the band headed into the studio for the first time, laying down six live tracks in a single day. Another quick-fire recording session soon after resulted in a four-track mini-EP, led by the towering single ‘This Weight’. Featuring Iansek’s huge distorted guitar and high-wire vocals backed by Syme’s thumping drums, ‘This Weight’ quickly caught the ears of the press, who hailed this ‘talented and fearless’ new duo.
Inspired by a wave of severe weather that hit the country, Big Scary went on to release the six-track ‘At The Mercy of The Elements’ ep. Ranging from rousing, piano-led ballads (‘Falling Away’), to thumping, distorted numbers (‘Hey Somebody’) and intricate, sonorous instrumentals (‘At The Mercy of the Elements’), the ep was a full-to-bursting showcase of the duo’s vital, dexterous sound. ‘Thoroughly excellent,’ raved The Australian. ‘Packed with anxiety and bravado,’ Beat said.
With a growing national profile, Big Scary embarked on a period of heavy touring, with a diverse list of supports that reflected the duo’s eclectic output: The Vasco Era, Florence and the Machine, Midlake, Little Red, Editors. Soon enough the duo began headlining their own shows, first in their hometown of Melbourne and then all over the country.
Big Scary remain endlessly fascinated by the natural world. In 2010, the duo released four seasonally themed, limited-edition eps, which were eventually collected as The Big Scary Four Seasons. A rich, thrillingly diverse set of songs, The Four Seasons showcased Iansek and Syme’s uncanny ability to translate the vagaries and glories of the elements into utterly compelling music.
‘Four Seasons proves to be the defining turning point for Big Scary, for they are no longer the next best thing in Australian music, they are the best thing,' Beat Magazine said of the lp, while the AU Review hailed ‘the versatility and obscene… talent of the players.’
A national tour followed, with the band playing to packed houses all over the country. Several months later, as the band began to ready their new album, ‘Autumn’, one of the standout tracks from the Four Seasons, was placed in a high-profile AT&T ad in the US, introducing the band to American audiences for the first time.
The vision for the new record came together on a small island farm, where Iansek and Syme holed up for several weeks after a run of successful summer festival shows, writing and demoing songs. ‘We knew we had a lot of songs that we liked, but they were all so far from each other on the genre scale—super bratty garage, really poppy piano stuff, epic guitar songs, folky acoustic stuff,’ Syme says. ‘The album will still have elements of all that, but we've got some really strong tracks that we think tie it all together.’
Instead of painting themselves into a corner, on the new album Big Scary celebrate the diversity of their songwriting. ‘We write songs with completely different feels and vibes,’ Iansek says. ‘In the studio, we thought that we should try not suppress this too much, and just roll with it.’
By their own admission, the two worked ‘a lot harder’ in putting together the new album material than they had before, re-writing parts and lyrics until they were satisfied. This process continued into the studio, where every sound was carefully considered and experimented with—often for hours at a time. Layers were added to some songs, while parts were culled from others, as Iansek and Syme sought to make each song ‘as strong as it could possibly be.’
The new album, which is due in October, promises to be another startling document from a band whose only constant seems to be their capacity for invention, their desire to keep moving forward.
www.bigscary.net
Label page: Pieater
Hamilton
Big Scary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the time of the year when the darkness is falling with a fake
In a moment we will all be just a bright spark
Forgetting all our memories in place for an endless dark
And I can't believe you think money
Will save yourself from all that's coming your way
Push the people aside, mishear and let the maker take the blame
Oh these cardboard, mystical, heaven-held sources of gold
Foreign mister calls my name hear it back on the radio
And I can't believe you think money
Will save yourself from all that's coming
The future won't remember kindly
Your kids will hate you, your wives will leave you this way
The lyrics of Big Scary's song "Hamilton" present a melancholic vibe and describe a transitional time, a period of change that might leave one feeling lost or deserted. The opening lines depict a gloomy atmosphere where people prefer to stay in bed instead of facing the reality. The following phrase, "the darkness is falling with a fake," hints at the possibility of a false hope in a seemingly dark time. What follows next is an interesting contrast, where the lyrics explore the notion of mortality and how quickly life can change. The line, "In a moment, we will all be just a bright spark," indicates how ephemeral life is and how we might forget our memories and existence in an endless, never-ending darkness.
The lyrics also talk about the limitations of money in ensuring one's safety and happiness in the future. It suggests that no matter how much money one may have, it will not save them from life's uncertainties or protect them from consequences. The repetition of the phrase "And I can't believe you think money will save yourself from all that's coming your way" reinforces this idea.
The following lines explore the themes of escapism, denial, and self-deception. The advice to "put the coffee in a hole" is a metaphorical way of saying to hide or bury one's emotions or problems. "Push the people aside, mishear, and let the maker take the blame" further emphasizes the notion of disengaging oneself from reality and giving up responsibility for an easier life. The phrase "Foreign mister calls my name" and "hear it back on the radio" might suggest an escape from the present through some nostalgic or nostalgic mechanism.
Overall, "Hamilton" is a powerful song that explores many themes of existentialism, mortality, and the human condition. It portrays the yearnings and anxieties of people going through a transitional period and their struggle to come to terms with the uncertainty of the future.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the time of the year when the morning keeps you under the sheets
The time has come for us to feel lazy and stay in bed in the morning
It's the time of the year when the darkness is falling with a fake
It's that time of year where everything seems to be fake and dark
In a moment we will all be just a bright spark
A moment will come where we will be nothing but a bright spark
Forgetting all our memories in place for an endless dark
We will forget all our memories and enter an endless dark
And I can't believe you think money
Will save yourself from all that's coming your way
I can't believe you believe that money will protect you from all that's coming your way
If the coffee gets cold put it in a hole and call out my name
If your coffee gets cold, then chuck it and scream my name in anger
Push the people aside, mishear and let the maker take the blame
Ignore the people, misunderstand them, and blame the creator
Oh these cardboard, mystical, heaven-held sources of gold
These are just fake, mysterious, and overhyped sources of wealth
Foreign mister calls my name hear it back on the radio
A foreigner is calling my name and I can hear it on the radio
The future won't remember kindly
Your kids will hate you, your wives will leave you this way
The future will not remember you kindly if you continue living this way. Your kids will hate you and your wives will leave you
Contributed by Grace T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.