Bristol-based 3-piece rock band, Big Smile Revival, are due to release their new EP, The Universal Veil – an eclectic 4-track record combining imaginative lyrics with hard rock and retro-sounding synths to build a brilliantly rich atmosphere.
Big Smile Revival drew from two ends of the cultural spectrum to inspire their tracks. On the one hand, they build references to myth, legend and folklore into their songs in a very prog-rock King Crimson sort of fashion. (Or if I was to get properly obscure with my comparisons, I might even bring up the freak-folk enigma Comus). And on the other hand, they mix in tracks based around synths and science-fiction.
Overall, their musical style is much closer to contemporary hard or psychedelic rock (think Thee Oh Sees or Ty Segall) with their noisy guitars, energetic riffs, aggressive vocals and percussion that drives each song forwards. But with nebulous forays into synth-pop or shoegaze territory (‘Sacred Mushroom’ and ‘The Helm’) reminiscent of bands like Pond, Big Smile Revival have created a fresh and dynamic EP that is constantly reinventing itself and twisting in new directions.
Something that forces Big Smile Revival to take a fresh perspective on their work is that their bassist, Edvard G. Till, has synaesthesia, meaning he can “see” and “taste” sound. So, one of their main aims is to create music which not only sounds good but looks good and tastes good too! And so far, they’re doing a pretty great job of it.
They’ll be releasing ‘The Helm’ (the final track on the EP) as a single on June 25th, and The Universal Veil will follow on July 2nd.
Check out Big Smile Revival here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigSmileRevival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BigSmileRevival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigsmilerevival/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/big-smile-revival/big-smile-revival-the-universal-veil-04-the-helm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/00PLpOSuFJxpcoa2E3sNuw
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh1FhxT4-_DLbswPbgrWJUw
Words by Lewis Woods