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
Spring
Big Scary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am a new time
You are the bleak, you are the black
I am the springtime
I've come to clean the frost away from your windshield
I am a warmth you've never felt
A cold so cool that you have doubt
I've come to build, I've come to melt
I've never loved somebody like I've loved myself
I am the sweetness in the air
I am the first shoots
I am an endless beauty
I am a time so fair
I've never loved somebody like I've loved myself
Interpretation:
The song "Spring" by Big Scary is about the transformation from winter to spring. It talks about a new life and the arrival of warmth after a long period of coldness. The first verse talks about the contrasting characters of the singer and the listener. The singer is someone who brings a new era, while the listener represents the bleakness of the winter season. The second verse focuses on the singer's role in melting the ice by bringing warmth back into the world.
The singer also refers to self-love in the last verse, which is evident in the line, "I've never loved somebody like I've loved myself." The lyrics suggest that the spring represents a new beginning, not only in nature but also in our personal lives, where we can start fresh and love ourselves more.
Overall, "Spring" is an uplifting song that celebrates the arrival of a new season, representing hope, renewal, and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not like anybody else
I am unique and different from everyone else.
I am a new time
I am a fresh and novel change from the norm.
You are the bleak, you are the black
You represent darkness, despair and negativity.
I am the springtime
I represent hope, growth, and renewal.
I've come to clean the frost away from your windshield
I am here to help you see clearly and move forward without obstacles.
I am a warmth you've never felt
I bring a sense of comfort and joy that you have never experienced before.
I am a life giver
I am the force that brings new beginnings and vitality to all that surrounds me.
A cold so cool that you have doubt
My presence is so refreshing and new that it may bring skepticism and uncertainty.
I've come to build, I've come to melt
I am here to both create and destroy, to bring about change and evolution.
I am the sweetness in the air
I bring a gentle and pleasing energy that heightens the senses and inspires the soul.
I am the first shoots
I represent the beginning of new growth and the emergence of fresh ideas.
I am an endless beauty
I am a constant source of wonder and amazement in the world, always changing and evolving.
I am a time so fair
I am a period characterized by peace, happiness, and prosperity.
I've never loved somebody like I've loved myself
I value and appreciate myself more than anyone else, and my love for myself informs my actions and interactions with others.
Contributed by Asher A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.