SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BIG WRECK – PAGES

BIG WRECK
PAGES
SONIC UNYON RECORDS

Big Wreck continues to evolve their sound on their latest record, Pages. Their second release of the year, the six-song EP follows 7.3 – the conclusion of a trio of EPs released between 2021 and 2023 – and marks the beginning of a new series of releases.

Pages opens with “In Fair Light”. The opening song clocks in just under eight minutes and sees the band experiment with progressive elements and structures to great effect. The song begins with a lengthy instrumental section that builds upon a polyrhythmic line performed on a synth. The song grows until the warmth of Ian Thornley’s guitar and vocals cut through the building soundscape. Big Wreck accomplishes this while remaining true to their modern rock sound, avoiding the typical sounds of progressive rock and metal while masterfully indulging in musical elements association with the genre: lengthy instrumental passes, rhythmic modulation, and extended song lengths. The album takes a sharp left turn with the following track, the lead single “Bail Out”, and aggressively relentless hard rocker that can stand among the heaviest of material from the band’s catalogue. It is such a range in both songwriting and performance that makes Pages, despite being an EP, feel like a full album.

The remaining four tracks on Pages continue to demonstrate the versatility of Big Wreck and their enduring power. “Summerlong”, once again, is built upon to rhythms of a bouncing synth line, only for Thornley to deliver an anthemic chorus and a bridge that feels equally as necessary as anything else within the song – a rare feat for bridges across the board while “Weightless” revels in lush melodies and even richer vocal harmonies and “White Lies” is an all-out rocker that sees Thornley push his voice to the limits of his range. There is a symmetry to the record as Pages comes to a conclusion with “Bird Of Paradise”, a progressive rocker in similar tone to the opening track, “In Fair Light”. Inspired by Genesis, the song is a winding road of shifting sections, each illuminating a new shade of Thornley’s artistic vision. There is something stunning to the compositional nature of the band’s songwriting on Pages.

Pages serves as an effective point of transition for Big Wreck. The EP sets up their latest era while differentiating itself from their previous work with an experimental approach to writing and the use of electronic textures. Most impressively, however, despite the departing nature of the album, the band has not sacrificed the sound that is central to them: Pages is essential Big Wreck.

SPILL FEATURE: PAGES – A CONVERSATION WITH BIG WRECK’S IAN THORNLEY 

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