Bigwig

Somewhere between Propagandhi’s progressive, political punk and Pantera’s propulsive thrash riffs sits New Jersey’s Bigwig. Initially a band who could have been mistaken for any number of Eptiaph/Fat Wreck wannabes, the quartet have grown wiser as they’ve grown older and no longer aspire to just emulate the bands of their not too distant youth. But ten years and four albums later, the band have found a renewed sense of purpose. This album finds them mining familiar territory of super-fast punk rock, but added to that is a new awareness of what it means to have your own sound. Granted the limitations of the genre mean there are numerous points of comparison (Strung Out, Good Riddance, Pennywise), but with their increased confidence comes a record that is more inspiration than emulation.