The Big Moon release long-awaited sophomore album ‘Walking Like We Do’

The Big Moon

The Big Moon released their new album Walking Like We Do on Friday (January 10th) following a long wait to their award-nominated debut album Love in the 4th Dimension.

From debuting their new material during a secret set at the worlds most prestigious festival Glastonbury 2019, which proved to be the latest in a long line of risks that have paid off.

Ever since lead singer Juliette Jackson laid the foundations for the project, back in 2014, the London-based band have consistently gone with their gut, following what feels right rather than what’s easiest.

At a time where guitar-based indie had fallen out of favour, they were credited with breathing new life into the genre, and were subsequently awarded a Mercury Music Prize nomination for their 2017 debut. Impressive enough, even before you consider that – at the time of recording – The Big Moon were simultaneously performing backing band duties on Marika Hackman’s album, I’m Not Your Man.

the big moon

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

Lead single and first track from the album ‘It’s Easy Then’ hits back to the 60s and 90s pop R&B but is a departure to the guitar-heavy riffs, which seems to be transparent across most of the songs in the LP. The song is about discussing the sense of impending doom that goes hand in hand with being a citizen of the world in 2019.

Extending that theme further, lead single ‘Your Light’ is about finding solace in relationships during chaotic times, finding Jackson as wry as ever in couplets like. (Watch the video below)

Hit single ‘Take A Piece’ channels some classic looks and moves from a timeless era of the quintessential 90s boy band boom over a bed of bubbling synth notes and its buoyant melody.

In the mid-way point you can tell there’s more professionalism and maturity in their sound; ‘Don’t Think’ brings solid guitar hooks and ‘Waves’ focuses on Juliette Jackson’s vocals.

‘Barcelona’ is a song steeped in a sense of nostalgia, all reflective and warm in the face of changing times for the quartet. It examines the inevitable state of flux caused by growing older.

When lead guitarist Soph Nathan cites the number of choices they had to make as one of the most challenging aspects of making the album, Archer chimes in to agree. “With these songs, it was like: we can take them in any direction. Any of them have the potential to be big singles.”

the big moon

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

Jackson takes over, “For a while I think I was writing songs that were more like [those on] the first album because I felt like that’s what we should do. But after six months I knew I wanted it to be sonically bigger, deeper, wider and more spacious than a rock album.

“We wanted to let the songs breathe a bit more. And while we still wanted it to have energy and all the right feelings, we just wanted to be more creative with how you conjure a mood.

“We made these songs to provide listeners with some release. And for us too. It took us a while to realise we could do anything on this album, and feel confident with our own voices. But I realised that there is strength in our character, in our lyrics, and in the decisions we make.”

More self-assured and creatively fearless than ever before, The Big Moon are ready for the next chapter.

The Big Moon will be supporting Bombay Bicycle Club before heading out on a headline tour themselves, find dates here.

Featured images by Pooneh Ghana