For a collection of songs originally left off BIG SPECIAL’s first two records, O’JOY! never feels like a collection of leftovers. Instead, it acts as a companion piece in the truest sense: a chance to spend a little more time inside the world that vocalist Joe Hicklin and drummer Callum Moloney have spent the last few years building.
BIG SPECIAL have carved out a sound that feels entirely their own. Heavy drums, spoken word, melody, humour, heartbreak and working-class storytelling all collide in a way that maybe shouldn’t work on paper but absolutely does in practice. Crucially, O’JOY! proves they haven’t lost any of that identity despite their rapid rise and non-stop work ethic in the past months.
Opening track PLAINTIVE NATIVE sets the scene immediately. The expected BIG SPECIAL ingredients are all present: Moloney’s thunderous drums, Hicklin’s unmistakable delivery and a sense of urgency that demands your attention from the outset. It feels like being welcomed back into familiar territory, but with plenty left to discover.
ONLY FREE WHEN SLEEPIN’ continues the EP’s exploration of discomfort, dread and modern exhaustion. As described by the band themselves, it’s a “head-down walking song”, and that feeling runs through every second of it. Yet, like the best BIG SPECIAL material, there’s hope buried beneath the frustration.
A personal highlight arrives with LAZARUS. The drumming throughout is exceptional, but it’s the final 18 seconds that truly steal the show. It’s impossible not to imagine the chaos this track will create in a live setting, with festival crowds completely locked in as the intensity reaches its peak. The perfect mosh pit soundtrack.
THE WAK’ offers a change of pace. Opening with the wonderfully mundane line, “Can you stop putting fags out in the quiche please”, it perfectly captures BIG SPECIAL’s ability to find poetry in everyday life. Stripped back to spoken word, strings and horns rather than the usual drum-led assault, it reinforces the duo’s working-class roots, discussing topics we can all relate to.
GARDEN OF FOOLS is among the EP’s most atmospheric moments. Built around a constant drone and packed with drama, it feels like an old folk tale being retold in a dimly lit pub. You could easily imagine it soundtracking the closing scenes of a Peaky Blinders episode.
The standout track, however, is the penultimate DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side). It’s a song that genuinely stops you in your tracks. Live, it feels destined to become one of those rare standstill moments where phones stay in pockets, jaws dropped, and the entire room hangs onto every word.
Closing track HOTEL perfectly encapsulates what makes BIG SPECIAL so compelling. A mock room service call introduces what Hicklin bluntly describes as “a song about depression”, yet the music itself remains uplifting. It’s funny, heartfelt and deeply human all at once. The lyrics cut straight through you, but the band still somehow send listeners away energised rather than defeated.
That balancing act is what BIG SPECIAL do better than anyone else right now. Their songs often tackle difficult subjects, but they never feel hopeless. O’JOY! is further proof that the duo are sticking firmly to their roots rather than chasing trends or smoothing off their rough edges for wider appeal.
This is music that rewards your full attention. Put on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and hang onto every one of Joe Hicklin’s words. Better still, go and see BIG SPECIAL live. Only then will you truly understand how Moloney’s drums are supposed to feel: not just heard, but hitting you straight in the gut.
