Bigbet find themselves on mature second album.

BIGBET

Other’s Mind (타인의 마음)

Electric Muse Records 2021

8.8

review by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)

Bigbet is a veritable supergroup of Korea's indie scene veterans. Made up of members of I should have brought a camera in my dream, Atombook, and Vidulgi OoyoO, and of course, Big Baby Driver, which is where the name comes from.

On 타인의 마음 Other's Mind, Bigbet have added two new musicians, and with that comes an inevitable development in their sound. Here, the band has turned away from the raw, edgy alt of 2016 Bbdtrio and embraced a vibrant, poppy sound.

The collection is underpinned by a feeling of safeness. It is not an album that is designed to shock listeners. While this might sound like a negative, it actually works for them. It doesn’t feel dull or uninspired, the album comes across as confident and self-assured. It is a group of musicians who know who they are and what they want to say. They've taken a palette of familiar themes and sounds and created something refreshing. 

Opener, 노래 Affinity (the English part of the title taken from Goethe's 1809 novel Elective Affinities), is as joyous and lively as the band have ever sounded. The light, trickly synth sounds combine perfectly with the jangly surf-adjacent guitar for an uptempo summer warmup.

Despite the evident energy of the opener, there are moments of real calmness to be found here. The sombre allure of 안녕 Goodbye wouldn't be out of place on a Belle and Sebastien record. The understated jaunt of Sincronicity fizzes away with the chilled aloofness of French pop. Here, SP's hushed vocals perfectly compliment the relaxed tone of the instrumentation. Whispy album closer 미러볼 Mirrorball glides along with post-party, Albatross lethargy. 

In just 5 songs, Bigbet have crafted a tight, summery album that's as bright as it is brief.  타인의 마음 Other's Mind is not reinventing the wheel. It is, however, a perfectly sunny record from a band that has adapted comfortably.

The album is available on Electric Muse. You can follow the band here.