Earlier this week, I was suddenly struck with the memory of how much I loved The Big Moon’s debut record, Love in the 4th Dimension. I started re-listening again for the first time in a while and felt the feelings I had for them in 2017 wash back over me. And then I visited their Twitter profile and noticed their new album would be out… in a few hours??
Despite following them on all social platforms, I missed every announcement from September until now. And now I feel like I understand when people end up on that “I didn’t know I was pregnant” show a little better. Sometimes, you really do just miss all the signs.
Since I came into this with zero knowledge of the music The Big Moon has been releasing since September, I was surprised by the total shift away from their 2017 debut. I loved their previous sound, reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys, but this new album fits more with what’s currently working in indie pop. I always wondered why they hadn’t taken off yet in North America, but this album may be the one that does it. Each song is delightfully catchy, carrying an “opening credits in an indie movie” quality to them.
However, I do miss their earlier sound. It felt fleshed out, unique to them. Walking Like We Do is a fantastic listen, but it does sound similar to a lot of indie pop albums from the last year or two. And I fully accept that this could just be the shock talking — usually you get a few months to acclimatize to the direction a band is going in, while I have had but a few hours. It’s already beginning to grow on me more, but I wonder if I’ll find myself fondly daydreaming about it three years from now.
Standout tracks: Your Light, Why, Holy Roller
