Angel Olsen has shared “Big Time”, the title track from her forthcoming album, from which we’ve already heard “All The Good Times”.
“Big Time” is an unabashed tip into classic country territory, with Olsen’s rich and rusty voice finding a perfect home amidst the lilting piano and warming pedal steel. It’s the perfect sound palette for a song as clean and open as “Big Time”, where Olsen has no ulterior motive other than to express the depths of her infatuation with her partner; “I’m living, I’m loving, I’ve lived long before / And I’m loiving you big time, I’m loving you more” she proclaims with swan-like grace. It’s a song that’s ready to be sung by a huge festival audience, or soundtrack an intimate slow dance in a living room; the emotions are strong, simple and big enough to adapt to any romantic setting.
The video for “Big Time” is also something special, with director Kimberly Stuckwisch explaining:
“For ‘Big Time,’ we set out to celebrate how humans identify and to subvert the old- fashioned gender binary and societal/internalized gender roles of the past through choreography, color, and wardrobe. To exist outside strict definitions is powerful and often not given a place in cinema. This was our chance to hold a positive reflection in the space and to shout to the world that you are more than who you are told to be. ‘Big Time’ is what happens when we do not express our true identity but find freedom when we step out of the shadows into our most authentic selves. In the first rotation, the lighting is drab, the clothes are monochromatic, the dance is monotonous… gender-conforming roles present.
“However, with each rotation, something magical happens, both our cast and Angel begin to come alive, to feel free. We see the clothes brighten, the dance heightens, and the bar that was once devoid of emotion can barely contain the joy bursting out of each individual.
“I am proud to say that over 80% of our cast and 50% of our crew identified as nonbinary and non-gender conforming.”
Watch the video for “Big Time” below or find the song on streaming platforms.
Angel Olsen’s new album Big Time will be out on June 3 through Jagjaguwar (pre-order). You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
She’ll also be playing these European dates:
26 Sep – Lisbon, PT @ Capitólio
27 Sep – Lisbon, PT @ Capitólio
29 Sep – Madrid, ES @ La Riviera
30 Sep – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo
1 Oct – Lyon, FR @ L’ Epicerie Moderne
2 Oct – Zurich, CH @ Kaufleuten
4 Oct – Munich, DE @ Freiheitshalle
5 Oct – Vienna, AT @ WUK
6 Oct – Warsaw, PL @ Palladium
7 Oct – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys
9 Oct – Stockholm, SE @ Berns
10 Oct – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
11 Oct – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
13 Oct – Cologne, DE @ Gloria
14 Oct – Paris, FR @ Bataclan
15 Oct – Leuven, BE @ Het Depot
16 Oct – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
18 Oct – London @ O2 Academy Brixton
19 Oct – Bath @ The Forum
20 Oct – Edinburgh @ Usher Hall
21 Oct – Manchester @ Albert Hall
24 Oct – Dublin @ Vicar Street
