We had the privilege of premiering Big League‘s single ‘Neverlandfill’ towards the end of last year and the band has now delivered an EP entitled ‘Windanswagger’, filled with the pulse quickening delivery we have come to expect.
The EP sees new guitarist Yonatan Rotem join the band, adding a nuanced texture to the sound.
The amusingly titled opening track ‘Why Don’t Birds Suddenly Appear?’ references of course the old Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic ‘Close To You’ (perfected in delivery by Dusty Springfield not The Carpenters in my opinion). Songwriter Travis Velthoven says of the track:
We’re hitting a point in our lives where friends are ending long-term relationships with their partners, divorces are no longer something that happens to parents, or in T.V. shows. This song’s about looking back on that period of your life and not seeing it as a failure, but as an experience that allows you to move on, knowing yourself better.
It’s a swaggering wall of guitars, thundering and imposing with an urgent delivery, a touch of You Am I and Teenage Fanclub but with The Big League’s unique urgency and melody, leavened with a touch of humour.
‘Neverlandfill’ is the sound of the band revving their collective engines into a driving sparkling anthem that rumbles though like a breath of fresh air. A thundering wall of sound is highlighted by shimmering guitar riffs – a veritable shoegaze of glamour and attitude. The scope is bigger than the desert horizon and with the same luminescent light. Elements of Soundtrack of our Lives and Teenage Fanclub wrestle with a Britpopish Oasis while an antipodean accent is detectable – a little You Am I, a little Paul Kelly. The winner of the tussle is us and Big League: their own distinct style to the fore. Travis Velthoven says of the track:
It’s about fast fashion, and how everyone’s fleeting desire to look a certain way at any particular time has led to the creation of a system that is fantastic at making tomorrow’s garbage.
With guitars that shimmer like a satisfying sonic unguent to the ears, the track is heavily laden with the usual melodic charms and pop sensibilities that recall bands like Teenage Fanclub and Dinosaur Jnr and a hint of a barbed wire edge like The Stranglers. And it’s all wrapped up with a light touch of humour and a bucketful of insouciant attitude.
Velthoven says the song is about body image issues:
When I was a scrawny teenager, the nu-metal look of ball-chain necklaces and blonde tips didn’t suit me, nor did the emaciated, leather and skinny jean trend of my early 20s. The song’s about issues with body image when you’re growing up, and feeling physically unsuitable for the current trends, while being around people who seem to suit them perfectly. It’s about fast fashion, and how everyone’s fleeting desire to look a certain way at any particular time has led to the creation of a system that is fantastic at making tomorrow’s garbage.
The track is delivered over velvet liquid guitar riffs, layered sounds and backing vocals from bassist Marie Velthoven.
The accompanying perfomance video displays their cool and laconic demeanour:
Final track ‘Well’ is another memorable pop classic, melodic and anthemic, a veritable blast of shimmering, sparking energy.
‘Windanswagger’ is a fantastic collection of pure pop noise, bravado, attitude and melody that is immensely satisfying fare. Big League does it again.
You can download and stream the EP here and get a special edition through the link below.
The band are heading out on a comprehensive tour of Australia and a return visit to New Zealand, through the second quarter of 2026. Tickets available here.
