biGDream’s New Single “Everybody’s High”

It’s thought that a vocal, good or bad, is inevitably what defines a pop track more than anything else does, but this isn’t especially true of a fierce number like biGDream’s new single “Everybody’s High.” biGDream do not hide behind any sonic smokescreens in “Everybody’s High;” instead, they come out swinging hard with a melodic intro that bleeds into the instrumentation rather seamlessly.

The epic balance of vocals and instrumentation doesn’t hit us until we get deeper into the track, but once these players are off and running, there’s no slowing their momentum for anything. The fall of 2022 has been all about collaborations, and this underground import could be one of the first noteworthy super-group-style offerings I’ve reviewed from an indie act lately. 

The beat is unassumingly tense and menacing in “Everybody’s High,” but it never becomes so spellbinding that we lose focus of the bread and butter of the song – biGDream’s elaborate stylization of the arrangement. I particularly like the way they use the atmospheric nature of the rhythm to illustrate a much deeper emotionality in the lyrics; rather than focusing on a harmonic delivery exclusively, they’re paying mind to the flow of the instrumentation and incorporating its movement into the narrative presented by these verses. That’s smart pop composing no matter what the style in question happens to be, as I see it. 

There’s a ton of pressure coming off of the bassline in this track, but much as they do with the beat, biGDream does not neglect the opportunity to use this element of the music as a tool through which they can communicate further feelings of frustration. If I had to guess, I would say that they were probably listening to a lot of ambient and low-fidelity pop in addition to surreal psychedelia before developing the concept for this single – after all, why else would they apply as cerebral a finish to its aesthetic as they did? 

The video for “Everybody’s High” has a very indulgent feel in a couple of key spots, but I would stop well short of describing it as any sort of a throwback to old-school psychedelic rock. Its subject matter is presented as the epitome of experimentation in both the compositional and sonic sense amidst postmodern shots that feel inspirational and motivating in a way that counts for something. This is authentic indie content in an era that’s been dominated by posers of all kinds, and for the music culture we’re in at the moment, it couldn’t be arriving at a more appropriate time. 

biGDream simply have no time for recycling elements of someone else’s creativity in their music; in this new single and its unforgettable video, the band flexes a lot of muscle behind the mic, but more importantly, they give us a piece of themselves through their artistry. I’m interested in seeing where this project goes from here, but regardless of what they take on in their next release, I think they’re going to gain a lot more ground on both sides of the dial with “Everybody’s High.” It’s a tough act for their competitors to follow, and I don’t think I’ll be the only one saying so by the time this season is over. 

Mindy McCall