Ears Wide Open: The Big Gone

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The Big Gone (Photo by Alex Richardson)
The Big Gone (Alex Richardson)

L.A. quartet the Big Gone bundle a lot of influences into one package — the primitivism of early garage-rock, the barbed commentary of the art-pop bands of the ’80s and the taut, propulsive rhythms of ’90s indie-rock. There’s even a country song on their EP “And How She Gave Me Life,” which they released in March via Wiener Records, so who knows what’s dripping off the walls at their downtown studio, lovably named Purple Glitter. The Big Gone began around the songwriting duo of singer-bassist Claire Woolner and singer-guitarist Nick Sena, who then were joined by guitarist Danny Echevarria and drummer Will Geer. They released an EP in 2013 under the unfortunately chosen band name The Low. To avoid confusion with the beloved Minnesotans, the band switched to the Big Gone, which sounds like it oughta be baseball slang for a home run. The Big Gone call their polyglot music “dress rock,” but it’s not overly formal — their jagged new song “Sunset Graveyard” has a little bit of the Breeders’ fabric in it, and perhaps that Pixies’ boy/girl attitude, along with Echeverria’s tasty licks.

||| Stream: “Sunset Graveyard” and, from their EP, “Sitting Shaking”