Hailing from London, Big Hug just released their latest single, single “CruelleMonde de la Hi Fi” on Friday and will be releasing their second EP, A Living You’ll Never Know, later this year. Their first EP, Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time earned excellent reviews from the indie music blogosphere, including high praise from I Thought I Heard a Sound, which praised the songs for their “Big riffs, huge vocal hooks, and a genuine forward-yielding tilt” and Personal Punk, which described the band as “tight as a tick.” Their new single  is about the purgatory of what the band describes as “bullshit jobs, and they describe the new EP as “more of a heavier/math infused take on the rowdy emo/punk of the first EP… less introspective lyrically, focussing broadly on persevering through shitty late stage Britain.” 

Who’s in Big Hug, and how did the band get together?

Big Hug are Owain Mumford, Thomas Watkins and Henry Langston. Owain and Tom have known each other since they were teenagers and have played in bands on/off for years in Cardiff. Big Hug started in 2021 and I got onboard after the last bassist dropped out, bit of a gamble to be fair cause I hadn’t played in bands since I was 18, some 15 years later but so far so good!

Why “Big Hug”? What does the name mean to you?

Can’t really say it means anything specifically, personally I like the slightly incongruous nature of it when you compare it to some of the tracks but pretty sure the name is stolen from a beer one of the boys saw at the pub!

Your latest track, “CruelleMonde de la Hi Fi” is about the purgatory of bullshit jobs. What does everyone in the band do for a living, and, if you’re at liberty to say, what kind of bullshit do you have to deal with on a daily basis?

The three of us work in media and at charities – I don’t think the track is necessarily about the jobs we’re currently in but it rails against some of those job tasks that grind you down a bit and that slog we all feel struggling through the day to pay the rent and afford the good times and peace of mind we all deserve more of. 

I love the cover image for that one. Who designed it? What does it depict? And how do you see it reflecting the themes of the song?

So the cover is by the very excellent Cal Hudson (https://hatepastedesign.com/work-1) who plays in the excellent punk band – Other Half. We wanted the cover to reflect the EP title and the general theme of the lyrics – a hopeful striving towards something seemingly better – represented by the crowd of people gazing up at the obscure, slightly utopian cityscape. 

The track will appear on your forthcoming EP, A Living You’ll Never Know. You’ve mentioned that it’s broadly about “persevering through shitty late stage Britain.” For readers outside the UK—who, of course, are likely familiar with the shittyness of their own environs—what makes late stage Britain’s shittyness particularly shitty—and particularly ripe for musical commentary?

I think there’s a particularly crushing level of ignorance that we’re dealing with here in Britain, combined with the very real feeling that everything is falling apart that you can’t really escape. We wanted to comment on that but also try to champion people pushing against that negativity and persevering against the odds. 

Is there any hope?

Absolutely, there’s a really healthy, hopeful scene that we’re lucky to be a part of full of great bands writing brilliant music. Despite the challenges facing bands in the UK, people are pushing through and building communities for each other, something our wider society needs more and more of.  

Musically speaking, you also mentioned that A Living You’ll Never Know presents a heavier/math infused take on the rowdy emo/punk your first EP. I’m vaguely aware of math rock but not exactly sure of what it is. Can you give me a quick primer? What is it, and who are some math rock bands that influence you?

Good question! Our interpretation I guess might be focussed around unorthodox time signatures and trying as hard as we can to avoid standard strong structures to keep the listeners and frankly ourselves guessing. If anything at least it’s helping me get better at bass. In terms of bands – At the Drive In, TTNG, Lakes, Tangled Hair and Their, They’re, There to name a few!

And what’s drawing the band in that musical direction?

Guess its a reflection of what we’re listening to and trying to just evolve as much as possible, EP #3 could sound very different – synth pop or doom metal, who knows!

Where do you see the band going over the next few years?

We’re three blokes in our mid/late thirties so we’d be happy with continuing to play shows and releasing music. Think this year (2024) we’re keen to explore doing some splits with some other bands rather than go for another EP or album. Think we’d definitely like to play a festival or play some shows in Europe or even the US if anyone would have us!