Big'n releases South of Loathsome
South of Loathsome" is the second song on End Comes Too Soon, the third and newest album by Chicago noise rock band Big'n, due for release on Computer StudentsTM on November 15th, 2024 on LP (Standard, Deluxe and Limited [Red] Editions), and digitally.
Bigʼn is a Chicago-based noise rock band formed in 1990, consisting of vocalist William Akins, guitarist Todd Johnson, bassist Fred Popolo, and drummer Brian Wnukowski. After releasing a stellar debut album, followed by their sophomore and signature effort Discipline Through Sound on Skingraft Records, and a split single with Shellac, the band became inactive for some years. They resurfaced in 2010, releasing a compilation of singles and an EP, touring Europe twice, and playing numerous festivals in the United States. In 2018, they recorded and released an EP, Knife of Sin, and in 2022, they released DTS 25, an expansion of their second album. Both were recorded by the late, great Steve Albini and released on Computer StudentsTM.
In 2024, Bigʼn is back once again with a ruthless new album, End Comes Too Soon — their first in 28 years. It's all still here as present and disciplined as ever — Brianʼs powerful, reliably precise drumming with melodic phrasing that shapes the songs, Fredʼs metallic superstructure of a bass that builds the defined framework of the music, Toddʼs clangorous guitar that has more harmonic content than a lot of his noisier peers, and William Akinsʼ yarling vocals, the most recognizably human thing about the band, that convey layers of tension and intent, all the emotional content of a hellbound therapy session.
The single "South of Loathsome" showcases the band at their peak performance, blending the strength and power of their angular, repetitive rhythm section with the wrath and madness of the vocals. After an explosive start, the music moves through an evolutionary trajectory that culminates in its most completed state.
End Comes Too Soon was recorded by Shane Hochstetler at Chicagoʼs Electrical Audio — Albiniʼs kingdom. Unintentionally — yet cleverly — Side A ended up being recorded in Studio A, and Side B in Studio B. Also completely unintentional is the album title. Tragically, on May 7, 2024, Steve Albini suddenly passed away of a heart attack. Naturally, Bigʼn were shocked and devastated. End Comes Too Soonʼs title comes from a lyric, and is unrelated to Albini; still, the album became a roundabout love letter to the man, his studio, and his legacy.
End Comes Too Soon was mastered by Carl Saff and is offered in three forms. The first is the standard edition on high-quality 180-gram vinyl inside a 6mm spine gatefold cover with matte finish. The second is a deluxe edition, with all of the above housed in tactile Type-2 aluminum packaging alongside a massive double-side poster. Lastly, End Comes Too Soon will be available to stream and download.
Seventy copies are available only from the Computer StudentsTM website on a limited edition basis. They are housed in Type-1 aluminum packaging with red print in lieu of black.
Stream/Share the single: https://modulor.lnk.to/SouthofLoathsome
Preorder the album: https://cmptrstdnts.com/end-comes-too-soon/
