Last year, Carlos covered London beatdown outfit Big Smoke's debut EP before I had the chance. This time, I made sure to get the story myself.
Their latest effort, Nothing Left to Mourn, is a sick step up: a nastier, more metallic expansion of the same influences they cited last time around, including Denied, Irate, and 50 Caliber.
Catching me up via email, guitarist Louis Pelard Sillery elaborates: "We definitely have evolved a lot as songwriters, and this was much more of a collaborative effort, as the first EP was pretty much solely written by Jamie [Harris, bassist]. This newest release is much more evil sounding, with some metalcore elements that we definitely are not gonna shy away from as songwriters."
Part of that expansion surely comes from the addition of second guitarist Sam Knight. Louis explains: "It just gives us a fuller sound and gives us the opportunity to write lead parts and mess around with the rhythm a lot more, adding new elements and counter melodies."
"Our writing process mainly starts with Jamie writing songs at home using Guitar Pro, then we take them into the rehearsal room to really feel whether the songs are keepers or not. Vocal-wise, Lewis [Dwyer] improvised a lot of the vocal lines in the room to figure out where they should sit and write around that."
Also involved this time around were Splitknuckle guitarist Christy O'Connor, who recorded the EP, and Pest Control drummer Ben Jones, who mixed and mastered it—both boosting the band's UKHC street cred and described by Louis as "just absolute professionals in their field, so if anyone is looking for a dream team, it's definitely those two."
Getting into the themes of the record, Louis talked me through all but one of the tracks (the lyrics for the one he skipped, "Reborn," speak for themselves, to be honest.
"So the title was a random idea presented by our new guitarist, Sam, and it actually fit the theme of our last song, 'Brand New Game,' which was lyrically inspired by the 1984 film Threads. 'London HxC' is mainly a mosh song about the London hardcore scene that we've now become a part of, and how, as much as there are so many wonderful people in the scene, it isn't without its drawbacks, just like any other scene.
"'All My Friends' is about having a childhood friend who doesn't grow with you as you get older, and how you should always push the people around you to do better and become the best version of themselves. 'Big Smoke' refers both to the band name and to London as a whole. Lyrically, it's about the constant rushing around in London and how, if you spend even a week away, it can feel like you've missed out on opportunities. It's a sort of sink-or-swim mindset."
Looking ahead, Louis says the band is already writing more new music, with plans to release another promo later this year. "Sam and I are taking a more active role in writing the new songs, so that's obviously a lot of fun for us."
Big Smoke's next show is with Pennsylvania bruisers Fool's Game and UKHC heavy hitters Last Wishes and Malignant Methods in London on September 6. After that, they'll head to Bristol and Southampton, with plans for a mini weekender tour in the north later this year.
He concludes: "The main goal is to continue experimenting and working on our sound, as well as collaborating with other hardcore bands through both songs and live gigs."
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Big Smoke on social media: Instagram
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