Set in the quiet candlelight of Los Angeles, BIIG PIIG’s latest EP ‘The Sky Is Bleeding’ redefine romanticism and intimacy in eighteen minutes

Alternative artist BIIG PIIG has undergone a dramatic transformation this year: her latest EP ‘The Sky Is Bleeding’ and its soft melodic tones are just the tip of the iceberg.

Irish-born singer Jess Smyth, better known as BIIG PIIG, continues to leave fans in awe of her multi-disciplined vocal range with her latest EP, ‘The Sky Is Bleeding’. 

The eighteen-minute-long extended play record offers a new wave of soft melodic tones that perfectly describes Smyth’s journey through bashful youth to the confident woman the twenty-three-year-old she is today.

 

Smyth describes the album on her website as “A project that I’ve let myself be free and open about situations and fantasies of mine that I haven’t touched on before. My sexuality and secrets I wanted to take the listener as close as I could to some of the intimate and vulnerable places I go alone”.

 

The first track ‘Remedy’ explores just this: repeated cries of “This kind of pleasure is a secret / Just tell me now if you can keep it” against the moody undertones of the bass create that candlelit ambience that evokes only romanticism. Intimate and hushed, this song sets the chilled tone of the EP to listeners from the first chord.

 

Tarzan could be nothing further from the classic Disney tale, telling of a late night clandestine encounter: “I got this place on my lonesome / That’s right / Glad you came”. The elegant Eilish-esque murmers between beats layer-upon-layer to reach the high octaves of the climatic chorus: “I can see his body through / Candlelight”.

 

Turn up the volume for Symth’s third track, ‘Baby Zombies’: where her whispers blur with the bass to create a melodic hook that reimagines the BIIG PIIG discography. Effortlessly discussing the mundanity of everyday with poetic lines, the lyrics ooze of cinematic influences and can only be described as a song that makes you feel as if you’re in a movie scene.

 

By comparison, Lavender is obvious in its intentions to repurpose Smyth as a ‘grown up’ singer and dedicated to exploring intimacy in “A dark room [with] dim lights”. This song may be about defining sexuality, but the hard hitting lyrics and sonorous tones also allows fans to reminisce memories of smoke filled concert venues, (“Feeling the bass hit”) and dream of live music finally returning in the coming months.

 

BIIG PIIG will be touring the South of England throughout the autumn months, bringing warmth to those colder nights with the Californiacation-inspired track, ‘Drugs’. The influence of Los Angeles is evident in juxtaposition of upbeat and relaxed tones, with coos of “Looking for a better life / Living in the city of angels” creating a cosy ambience perfect for a long drive through the night.

 

Unpredictable as Smyth’s nature, the final track ‘American Beauty’ evokes 90s grunge in a lyrical exploration of same-sex relationships. Transcendental and amped-up, the transition of maturity and innocence is intricately woven into the whispers, as Smyth ends her latest EP with cries of “Whisper it to me / They can’t keep you satisfied but I’ll listen”.

 

The Sky is Bleeding remains BIIG PIIG’s strongest EP to date, fuelling listeners with an overwhelming desire to learn and listen from Smyth’s hushed vocals. Jess Smyth clearly has an experimental discography driven by ambition and creative freedom but 'The Sky is Bleeding' redefines her style and reaffirms her position as Amazon’s ‘Artist to Watch’ for 2021.

 

Sophie Smith

@_soph_smith 

Image: The Sky is Bleeding Official Album Cover