As Biig Piig, singer/producer Jess Smyth creates invigorating electro-pop that finds ecstatic fruition on her debut mixtape Bubblegum. It all began with the release of last year’s single “Kerosene,” a track that helped reveal to the artist that she had a whole lot more to say than could be contained in just one song. Against the backdrop of her sugary melodies and techno-anxious songs, Biig Piig pursues all the euphoric highs and heart-aching lows of falling in love. Her songs unfold as these intimate confessions bathed in both the gloaming lushness of her music.
The first track on the mixtape “Only One” traces the starry-eyed beginnings of a relationship about to bloom, syncing it to a resonant sonic palette that bursts with concussive beats. The melancholia of its soundscape mirrors the sad realization that comes when a once powerful connection runs its course. Then there’s “Kerosene,” a track that’s chopped up into two distinct melodies: one blissful and sultry in its heady sequence of beats (spilling energy inspired by the iconic “Gasolina”), the other a spiraling shimmer of electronica.
“This Is What They Meant” sees Biig Piig wrestling with a short but intense infatuationship to the riveting tune of electric guitars and dreamy vocals. “This is what they meant when they said / That love can be selfish, I couldn’t help it,” she coos against the song’s scintillating textures.
With the arrival of the mixtape comes also a music video for “In the Dark,” the final song on the collection.
But the song also expresses no small amount of hope in her ability to find her way out of this stygian maze of heartbreak. The music video for “In the Dark,” directed by Ed Paginton, opens with a shot of the artist igniting a flair next to an overturned car. As the video continues its scenes are accentuated by the shadowy darkness that fills the spaces between its different scenes, the most powerful of which are of Biig Piig and others dancing mindlessly (and happily) in the dark. Making the song all at once a kind of bittersweet celebration all the more potent and inspiring in the way it embraces our darkest moments with an expression of joy.
See them at The Echo in Los Angeles on Mar. 2!
Visit Biig Piig on their website, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Biig Piig tour
2.27.23 || New York || The Mercury Lounge (SOLD OUT)
3.01.23 || San Francisco || Popscene at Rickshaw Stop (SOLD OUT)
3.02.23 || Los Angeles || The Echo (SOLD OUT)
3.04.23 || San Diego, CA || CRSSD Festival 2023
3.05.23 || Okeechobee, FL || Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
Words by Steven Ward
Listen to Bubblegum the new mixtape from Biig Piig below!
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