Album Review: Local Honey by The Big Heed
By: Stephen Wilkins
Originally published January 23, 2020, by Plasma Magazine
The Big Heed has started off the new decade by dropping their first record, Local Honey. The quintet draws on various influences from grunge to pop and adds a dash of southern soul to round out the feel of their debut LP. The Big Heed is made up of Anna Jacobson (guitar/vox), Adam Faust (percussion), Isaiah Day (bass), Gabe Sugarman (drums), and Shaheed Smith (guitar/vox). Together they create a sound greater than the sum of their parts. The album is sonically very collaborative without sounding like different bands from track to track.
The inaugural track, “Fire,” is a controlled burn that’s slow and methodical, taking a backseat perspective at past and future relationships.“There is something in the air/I pretend not to care/There is something in your eyes/I pretend not to realize,” sings Jacobson about the first time meeting someone and what it means to recognize the possibility of a connection. ”I perceive a hard fight/Heart been broken once or twice,” mulling over the lingering taste of a past relationship. However, the repeating refrain “Fire burning inside,” is what it always comes back to, and wondering if we should pass up a connection because of past traumatic experiences.
“Melody,” is the flip side of that coin, a pulsing clean bass groove with Smith proclaiming “All I wanna do is buy you a car/A house on a big ole hill/So you can see me coming.” The fairy tale ending to “Fire’s” hesitancy over pursuing a new romance. The song expands till it is filled with background singers and Smith proclaiming “We can have a little bit more fun,” as the music runs out. “Local Honey,” buzzes from flower to flower with the distortion of guitars and Smith’s mid-song solo. It’s short and sweet just like Atlanta’s spring weather. If you blink you’ll miss it.
Jacobson sings,”I don’t even know what you’re thinking/I don’t even know what you’re feeling,” on “Happy” a rumination on the space created after a relationship. “I’m just happy you’re happy,” she repeats. In an age where we can see how our former partners and friends are doing, this song feels poignant; a reminder of the illusion of constant contact that has turned us into voyeurs and stripped us of the connection social media promised. “See Me Again,” bounces back to an upbeat tempo tapping into a groove reminiscent of Sonic Youth. I can already feel the bodies pushing back in forth in the crowd at the next Big Heed show.
Splitting up the vocal responsibilities between two singers as different as Smith and Jacobson creates a dynamic that allows for an expansive sound that is both singular and nuanced. On “Going Home,” they trade off verses that are as unique as the sound of their voices. Jacobson’s verses are vague but give a sense of leaving for home before something regretful begins. “I just thought about the doubt/And it’ll try/To take over your life/I’m going home/Going home,” she sings. Smith’s lyrics can be taken literally, but it’s not a stretch to say the world is figuratively a cold place that leaves you wanting to race home, “I think I figured it out/What this world is all about/It’s so cold outside/I wanna go home/I’m going home/Going home.”
The album’s finale begins with a monster riff that flings “Chains” into a blues groove with blistering distortion. It feels like prying a locked door open that hasn’t seen the sunlight in decades and wiping all the cobwebs away. It is clearly their most political and terrifying song on the record. “They took my brother/Borrowed my sister/Still I call you mister/But somebody prayed/Prayed/Oh they prayed for me,” screams smith. The album ends like it started, in flames, but instead of a controlled burn, the flames are out of control.
Local Honey rarely takes a moment to breathe. Even the slower tunes seem to be set ablaze with the distorted guitar. The Big Heed explores moments of pop clarity, but they always return to the sludge of grunge. While this album dropped at the beginning of 2020 it could have come out in 1990 and still found a welcome home. There are themes of angst and contemplation, but not without some good vibes in the meantime. Stay up to date with The Big Heed on their Facebook and Instagram, they are streaming on all platforms including Spotify and Bandcamp.
You can check them out live at Arches Brewing on January 31 with Suede Cassidy and Juniper.