Finding inspiration in joy

After a decade, The Big Pink’s third album, The Love That’s Ours, shines as a testament to a new vision for the band. In glimmering production and shining vocal performances, The Big Pink cements a voice in rock. Jubilee is a theme of this record. Rather than dwelling on more dark themes, this album finds inspiration in joy. Every track seems to bring a bit of play. Yet despite its fun, the album does not seem reductive. In its lyrics, there are still nuances. It truly is an album that promotes relistening, even if it’s just to listen to the catchy hooks again.

“How Far We Come” seems to take from the past few years in rock, borrowing from dream-pop, especially within its backing vocals. There are soft, breathy harmonies that are interspersed with the building momentum of the basslines. It’s when the drums kick in during the verses that one truly gets a vision of the album’s tone. Foreshadowing the other pop-inspired tracks throughout the record, The Big Pink uses its cheery chorus almost like a mantra, showing the power of seeing beyond the dismal choruses that have been popular, especially with the advent of the pandemic. Its dedication to love is inspiring, creating an opening that swells in intimacy.

“No Angels” reminds one of the best of TV Girl’s hook, with its keyboard, reverbed guitar, and harmonized choruses. Like the preceding track, “No Angels” has a loving, sentimental tone that is echoed by its bright production. Each element is distinct without overpowering one other, which is admirable for how reliant the hook is on the keyboard loop.  It creates such a dynamic sound that one cannot help but sway to the saccharine melodies.

More experimental sounds come through with tracks such as “Love Spins On Its Axis” and “Rage,” which utilize a complex layer of instrumentals to create an enveloping feeling. With shouts scattered in the verses of the former song, there is a call-and-response nature to the song that makes one feel like they are in a crowd. “Rage” similarly has disparate elements, with its twinkling keyboard that creates a paradoxically whimsical opening compared to the more rock-leaning ones on the album. While these notes might not reflect the more classic pop-rock sound, the endearing nature of the album never leaves. Throughout, one never forgets the dizzying feeling of love that the album so carefully tries to describe.

Of course, not all of the album follows such a lovely, soft picture of romance. Heavier emotions weigh on songs such as “I’m Not Away to Stay Away.” A remarkable range is displayed from the disparate upbeat tracks in the first half of the album to the more folk-inspired, toned-back instrumentals of this track. While it leans more toward the sound of a jam session, there are no doubts that the album provides astute care in creating a vivid sonic landscape in which the listeners can get lost in. “Safe and Sound” similarly relies heavily on the piano in order to create more transportive, almost antiquated inspired instrumentals to match its poetic lyricism.

“Back to My Arms” heavy percussion instrumental introduction helps to punctuate it. With a lower-register vocal performance and blown-out backing instrumentals, there is a dismal, dark theme of love that begins the song. When the chorus blooms, it comes as a surprise. With the driving, thumping percussion, the guitar and vocal harmonies utilized in the chorus provide such a beautiful contrast to its verses that one cannot help but appreciate the gradations of emotion that the lyrics explore.

Closing the album, “Lucky One” is the saddest point on the album. The cheery basslines are replaced with a relentless chord progression. As the lyrics delve into the loss of a close friend, the vocals sometimes seem to leap ahead of the bassline itself. Singing in heavy, elongated lines, there is such care that the album takes in depicting love. Even when the first tracks portray love as a beautiful, unstoppable force, the closing note shows the price of love’s inevitable partner, grief. The ballad helps to tone down the rest of the album, truly submitting to the need to appreciate how impactful love is on everyday life.