SINGLE REVIEW: Big Shipping – All The Empty EP
(self-released)
Big Shipping are a five-piece post-punk/post-hardcore band formed in Exeter, Devon, a couple of years ago. This is their debut EP.
It opens with Head Takes The Tail, just under three minutes of off-kilter post-punk, with a dash of post-hardcore thrown in. They’re heavy – bludgeoningly so in places – with huge riffs, a thunderous rhythm section, and strident, echo-drenched vocals. Ask me who it most sounds like and I’d say Killing Joke.
Next up is Arc, which opens quietly and slowly. But angular guitars, off-beat drums and meandering bass kick in, it picks up pace and volume, and ends up recalling The Membranes.
Third track Die Local is the standout track, urgent from the off, all surging guitars and a Peter Hook-like bassline. Final song Warm Gold is another slow burner, but just as intense as before, with shards of piercing guitar making their way through a huge fuzzy noise. I think fans of noise-merchants like Swans will appreciate this track most.
The four-track EP is available as a ‘name your price’ download from Big Shipping’s Bandcamp page HERE. All money raised will help four UK charities working on sea-based conservation, marine life preservation and plastic reduction in our waters. They are plasticoceans.uk, www.mcsuk.org, www.seashepherd.org.uk and www.sea-changers.org.uk.
- Die Local also features on Monster Compster Vol. 8, a mammoth 140-track compilation put together by South Carolina punk label River Monster Records. It’s a ‘name your price’ (ie FREE if you wish) download, which you’ll find on Bandcamp HERE.
