Big Special - National Average

BIG SPECIAL may have only released their debut, ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’, just over a year ago, but there’s been no shortage of inspiration for the politically astute duo in the time since. On this new full-length (and surprise release), ‘NATIONAL AVERAGE.’, the Black Country pair once again paint a darkly comedic portrait of life in Blighty, but this time, with even more sardonic bite. Much like the album’s launch campaign - in which they projected the album’s egg and chips artwork onto various fancy monuments - there’s a playfulness that runs throughout; whether in the funky, Yard Act-like stomp of ‘GOD SAVE THE PONY.’ or via an array of perfectly pitched, sarcasm-doused lyrics, their cutting humour is spectacularly on the money for the nation’s current mood. “I don’t want to move, I don’t want to mingle / Is it too much to ask for a Number 1 hit single? / A sponsorship or successful jingle? / Profit makes me tingle” goes the stellar ‘SHOP MUSIC.’, before the priceless refrain of “We use fucks for commas, to make everything sad sound fucking funny” kicks in for ‘PROFESSIONALS.’ Their gallows humour bears clout, though, with the album doubling as a rumination on the homogenisation of regional identities, alongside the ever-growing list of challenges faced in our everyday lives. A blistering, razor-witted record that sees the band expand their well-honed sound into even more eclectic territory, it’s a striking, invigorating move.