EP Review: Fuck Work

When I first heard the name Play Big it reminded me of those T-Shirts Wham used to wear in the eighties with CHOOSE LIFE emblazoned on them. That image was blown away by the opening riff on Fuck Work which hit harder than Joseph Parker when he hasn’t been eating too many Burger Kings.

The production on this EP is impressive and all 5 tracks were recorded over two days at Auckland’s Silverpoint Studios. Vocally I am reminded of Cyprus Hill and the band are really tight. All The Same bounces along on the back of a grinding riff then builds to a climax that Rage Against The Machine would be proud of. It would be lazy to describe Play Big as a RATM clone though as there is much more going on here. A heavier edge and where RATM are tackling global issues Play Big are keeping things more street level and personal.

Don’t Worry starts all atmospheric and has a Deftones vibe. My favourite track on here and would be a killer to see live. The EP actually runs along like a live set and by Four Point Six the band are firing on all cylinders. Slightly longer than the other tracks with some nice break downs. This leads us to closing track The Way That I Am full of the attitude that runs through all these tracks but not as stand out as the earlier songs.

A lot of NZ based Rapcore bands all come out sounding like Blindspott clones and I am pleased to say this isn’t the case with Play Big. Finally, NZ has a band stepping out of those shadows and shining a light for others to follow. I am excited. Go out and buy this EP. I just did.

Paul Goddard