Fanatic Promotion: Lexington-based collective Big Fresh examines sexual preoccupation with sports metaphors in new Beatles-meets-electro funk “Hottie Tottie” video.

Clip for track taken from just-released “Sweeps” EP is companion TV-themed follow-up to last year’s “Fall Preview.” See it at Northern Transmissions!

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Big Fresh (clockwise from lower left): Ben Phelan, Brian Connors Manke, John Ferguson, Ben Fulton, Nick Coleman, Dave Farris, Kim Conlee, Matthew Clarke, Faith Diamond. Photo credit: Chad Stockfleth.

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Big Fresh – In The Press

“Tuneful, quirky pop.” — Brooklyn Vegan

“Big Fresh throws the listener one curveball after another.” — PopMatters

“Proud purveyors of exotically down-home art pop.” — Ace Weekly (Lexington)

“This is the bloody mythic core of pop tunesmithery.” — Power of Pop

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Big Fresh – Live

Lexington! See Big Fresh live at the Tahlsound Music Festival on Sat., Sept. 8^th! More info here.

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Northern Transmissions asks, “Is the video a modern day metaphor for Bobby Riggs vs. Billie-Jean King, or just some boys and girls having some fun, we will leave it up to you to decide.” Watch the video for “Hottie Tottie” here, and check out the song premiere via The Southern Sounding here or at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/BigFresh-HottieTottie

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/bigfresh/bigfresh-hottietottie.mp3

[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVUpvvEUK00

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Following up 2017’s “Fall Preview” EP with the five-track EP “Sweeps” (out now), Lexington, Kentucky-based collective Big Fresh presents a collection of tunes that is essentially the other side of the TV-themed coin that we saw the face of last year. “Sweeps” arrives on the band’s Desperate Spirits label (Jeanne Vomit-Terror, ATTEMPT, Italian Beaches) – co-founded by John Ferguson of The Apples In Stereo – and is available digitally, as well as in a limited vinyl edition.

Similar to the ebullient sonic tropes of “Fall Preview,” “Sweeps” draws from musical touchstones near and far, synthesizing the breezy harmonies of The Free Design, the lush arrangements of David Axelrod, and the gleeful deconstructionism of XTC. The first music video, for the “Sweeps” track “Hottie Tottie” is “an unsubtle ode to my (and everyone’s) preoccupation with sex, and the feelings of guilt placed on such thoughts by a superstitious and primitive culture,” Ferguson says. “Sonically, it draws from ELO, Michael Jackson, The Apples In Stereo, and XTC. It’s like if The Beatles made 80’s electro-funk.”

For the song’s Daniel Coy-directed music video, Ferguson continues, “The idea was to compliment the idea presented in the song, with a boys vs. girls basketball game providing a metaphoric backdrop for the inherent power dynamic that is present with sex between men and women. Since basketball, and sports in general, are tribalistic rituals rewarding competition in a winner-take-all charade, we felt it was the perfect visual metaphor where we could highlight the absurdity of our eternal flesh dance.”

Like its predecessor, “Sweeps” also features notable guest contributions from the band’s friends including Ken Stringfellow of The Posies (hear “The Voices” now via PopMatters), Per Sunding of Eggstone, Karen and Ryan Hover of Sound of Ceres and Candy Claws, along with vocalist Reva English of label mates Italian Beaches, and local Lexington heroes Tim Welch and Chris Dennison.

Its cover art, once again by the amazing Chad Stockfleth, is itself worthy of a biblical tome, too. Bookending the TV Guide-theme introduced with “Fall Preview,” it features nearly the same concept and composition, “Only this time the digest sits amid trailer trash, and underclass accoutrement,” says Ferguson.

The “Sweeps” EP by Big Fresh is out now via Desperate Spirits. John Ferguson of Big Fresh is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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“Summons memories of Todd Rundgren’s marriages between booty shaking rhythms and embittered observations about the soul-draining nature of conformity and well-manicured laws and lawns...” – PopMatters on “The Voices” by Big Fresh

[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/BigFresh-TheVoices

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/bigfresh/bigfresh-thevoices.mp3

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Big Fresh

“Sweeps” EP

Out Now

(Desperate Spirits)