Single Review: BIG SPECIAL – SLUGLIFE

NATIONAL AVERAGE

Big Special aren’t in the business of polite single releases and ‘SLUGLIFE’ arrives like another blunt-force reminder of how hard they hit.

Gritty, breathless and gloriously unpolished, it captures Joe Hicklin and Callum Maloney at their most exposed living low, moving slow and saying the quiet bits out loud.

Arriving off the back of an almost relentless run of releases since ‘NATIONAL AVERAGE‘, ‘SLUGLIFE’ sounds like a band with zero interest in easing up. Premiered by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, it snarls with the same raw intent that’s made Big Special one of the most vital voices in the country right now. This is music that sweats, music that grafts with no gloss and no safety net.

“A song about living low to the ground and going slow. Feeling guilt for needing a bit of time to pull yourself up by your boot straps. It’s about working through the self hate that can come through hard times.” says Hicklin on ‘SLUGLIFE‘.

Lyrically, Hicklin’s words hit with uncomfortable familiarity. Guilt, self-hate, the weight of hard times and the slow, painful process of pulling yourself back together, it’s all here and delivered with the duo’s trademark blunt-force honesty. Like recent cuts ‘PLAINTIVE NATIVE’ and ‘DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side)’, it thrives in that uncomfortable space where vulnerability and fury collide.

What makes Big Special’s rise so compelling is how earned it feels. From a packed-out debut at the Dublin Castle to selling out the O2 Forum Kentish Town, this hasn’t been overnight hype, it’s been built brick by brick on lived experience, razor-edged humour and a bond forged long before the lights came on. Even their collaboration ‘The Good Life‘ with Sleaford Mods felt less like a feature and more like a meeting of kindred spirits.

‘SLUGLIFE’ is a reminder that Big Special aren’t here to polish their edges or play nice. They’re here to tell the truth, however uncomfortable and drag it centre stage with them. One of the most essential bands in British music right now, still hungry, still swinging and showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.

Big Special head out on tour from February with support from Gans and Good Health Good Wealth.

Get the remaining and limited tickets here: https://bigspecial.co.uk/pages/tour