Little Big League was just signed to Run For Cover records, and is still a relatively unknown band. That makes listening to them cool, right? Nevertheless, one word to describe their music is “sick.” Sick in the fact that there’s so much diversity in a single album that it makes for a dynamic adaptation to the “indie-emo revival” genre (and not in the idea that this album makes me sick and nauseous). When compared to previous releases, Tropical Jinx does not seem to stand out as much, however. The sound seems to have stayed consistent, and the same sort of variation of songs is prevalent, which should not automatically be assumed to be a bad thing.
Philadelphia has been spewing out some of the best punk bands from their dingy basements and incredible music culture. Little Big League is no exception to this. Formed from the remains of other Philly bands, Little Big League quickly released a 7” which sort of set the tone and sound of the band. Since then, releases have all followed the same sort of dynamics; swelling guitars and unique female vocals, all of which are reminiscent of other bands with the same sort of sound, like Hop Along and Lemuria. Little Big League (LBL, as I refer to them as), despite similar aspects of their music, stands out amongst many of the upcoming acts, and should definitely continue on with an outstanding discography.
Tropical Jinx came to me by chance. I happened to stumble upon a video of a live set of the band, and began to explore the internet to see what else I could find. I soon discovered that this band was recently signed to one of my favorite record labels, putting out other great artists like Tigers Jaw and Basement. I suppose there was a sort of bias on why I chose to listen, but my current love for the band outweighs that bias. I then proceeded to order the deluxe pre-order of the record, on a clear coke-bottle green colored variant, which is by far the most beautiful piece of vinyl I have ever owned. The title track, “Tropical Jinx,” basically sets the mood for the entire album. Twangy, distorted guitars and almost mellow-sounding vocals carry throughout the album. But it then begins to pick up with the next track, “Sucker,” which shows off the singer’s ability to really screech. Overall, the band has an excellent ability to create a dynamic track list.
Little Big League have discovered their sound and it seems to be working well for them, and if you like Tropical Jinx, you’ll definitely enjoy their older material.
