- Culture
- 26 May 22
Big Love have returned with their third single release — a crescendoing track called 'Sirens,' available to stream tomorrow, May 27.
Dublin indie-rock band Big Love have returned with a breathless, desperate call to the world; in the form of their newest single, 'Sirens,' releasing tomorrow, May 27. Check out Hot Press's premiere, below.
Beginning with gentle, tentative vocals and barely-there guitar — 'Sirens' from the exposition seems like a slow indie ballad, tiptoeing through bare bones instrumentals, imbued with a quiet desperation. However, as the track progresses, lead singer Cian Ó Maonlaí's voice grows in intensity, the track building layer by layer until it explodes with sound.
A new gruffness matches the subtle harmonies and pulsing drums, transforming the song into a fast-paced cacophony — creating overload of noise in the best possible way. The smooth vocals that wove throughout the song eventually are replaced with screaming, as Ó Maonlaí stops questioning, and begins to plead.
The video, directed by Mark Logan, reflects this. A single shot, it depicts Ó Maonlaí waking up in the waving beach-side grass — confused, handcuffed and with blood on his shirt. As the song continues, he grows increasingly desperate, running through the sand and into the turquoise waves of the ocean. It's never clear where is or why he's there, and it doesn't seem like Ó Maonlaí knows either; he's just a man, fighting to escape his own situation.
The intense emotions that bleed throughout the track aren't manufactured, the singer explains. For him, the song was a way of reconciling with a difficult time.
"'Sirens' is my first hand depiction of a traumatic experience that happened to me in a chaotic period in my life. I was getting in a lot of trouble at the time and the event felt like the culmination of years of anger and frustration bottled into one night," he said.
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"The song is an attempt to describe the events of that night, its language and structure reflect how I felt at different times throughout. Moments of pure calm turn to rage and violence and then back again. For me the song is written in the form of a diary entry. Writing it all out in this way proved really cathartic and I believe it was necessary for me to get out like this."
'Sirens' is the band's third release, debut single 'Lily' dropping last year to widespread praise. Earlier this year, they unveiled 'i hope you sleep tonight,' which has begun to establish the group's delicate, yet rapturous indie sound. Now, with 'Sirens,' the Dublin outfit have firmly cemented themselves as ones to watch.
Check out the premiere of 'Sirens,' below: