Bigger Boot’s Bigger Bullet is chaos and catharsis
Bigger Boot have returned with their third record in Bigger Bullet, and boy is it something special.
The sometimes-solo project sometimes-band revolving around songwriter/producer oddball Cameron Clay is Bigger Boot. Truly a Discord admin's answer to indietronica, Bigger Boot’s sounds are diverse and eclectic, and somehow singular - this contradiction is what makes the project magical. Think hyperpop with rock elements and you’re in the ball park, and then forget it entirely because there really isn’t any pinning down exactly what you’re listening to.
After brilliant debut album A Fork or My Fingers and follow up EP ba dum tshh, fans of Bigger Boot’s weird brand of outsider music were stoked to hear of the announcement of Bigger Bullet, and expectations are sure to be more than met with this release.
Recorded in Melbourne and Montreal with dawk26 collaborators, Bigger Boot builds a world worth getting lost in across nine tracks. Totalling just under thirty minutes, the songs fuse breakcore, glitch rock, hyper pop and indie music into a kaleidoscopic adventure. Bigger Bullet is simply nuts.
@x_biggerboot_x Bigger Bullet
Opening with SWELL, listeners are thrown straight into the deep end with a 200 BPM electronic freak out. Redefining the meaning of overstimulation, the song is bookended with what sounds like an old sports game sample. It’s like a reality check for the ears.
Lead single Varial Kickflip the Leach Finger Gap is probably the closest the album gets to a pop song. A hilariously catchy synth lick leads into Cameron’s vocals as he introduces the theme of firearm imagery.
Anti-Eco’d plays with contrast as softer sections of quiet vocals and keys play against a massive chorus (with doo-wop vocals) followed by a rap verse, followed by a fake out chorus - subversion of expectations is the name of the game on this track.
Second single Pixie Ring (L’Élu) is a schizophrenic stroke of genius. A completely bewildering track consisting of elements of almost early-Flume-esque future bass, EDM, surf rock, breakcore and a massive sample/interpolation of Zed and Foxes’ 2012 hit Clarity on the hook - the tune is mind blowing stuff.
Softer cut [potofgreed]’s Obit is a spacious moment of peace in the album. Soft breathy synths sound like 10cc’s I’m Not In Love while a sweet sax haunts the ears. Cam’s whispered vocals paint a picture of contemplative nostalgia.
Dandelion Downtheline follows its predecessor in the reflective mood initially before exploding into a powerful centrepiece. Mixing samples of nature, vulnerable vocals and skittering drums with a core melodic line that develops with the song takes listeners on a journey through the highs and lows. “It’s fine, it’s fine, grapevines entwine”.
A waltzing chiptune track, Fork, a Fork is a piece of really honest melodic writing. A simple theme, the song is the simplest and somehow maybe the sweetest tune on the album.
Second to last, 25 is back in the madhouse. Rapidly changing dynamics along with a very Porter Robinson attitude towards sampling and arrangement. Pitched up elements along with classic breaks and soaring vocals are highlighted by choppy effects and some really creative panning.
Fingers, Our Fingers brings the record home with intimate duelling vocal performances - Clay plays two very different energy levels with stunning dynamism. A beautiful poem from William Carlos Williams is heard as soft acoustic guitar closes the curtains on what has been a deeply personal and powerful piece of art.
Bigger Boot have created a record here that is a serious cut above - a seriously beautiful, meditative, insane and chaotic piece of musical storytelling.
Make sure to give this album a listen here.