Album Review: Big White - Street Talk

Sydney buzz band Big White return with their second LP, Street Talk.

It's frothy and crisp, and has a vibrant inner warmth. Most post-punk can sound brittle, but Street Talk nails the fine line between rebellious angst and guileless optimism. There's more than a nod to the early work of The Cure, with the band's excellent vocalist Cody Munro Moore offering a sunny interpretation of Robert Smith's melodramatic caterwaul.

Production is light and polished, letting the best version of the band speak for itself. Street Talk has all the hallmarks of the third or fourth album from a far more seasoned outfit (excellent songcraft, liberal hooks, restraint, clarity of vision), and its sound is accessible and culturally nebulous.

Excellent opener On And On is a corker, exploding into a full-throated chorus early on, energised by twin attacks from synth and guitar. I Know What You Mean is a bouncy number reminiscent of '80s Aussie guitar pop, without succumbing to mindless nostalgia.

Despite not straying far from the path (an entire album's worth of songs doesn't yield a lot of variation), it's a compelling listen that'll please an audience hungry for pop with substance.