We featured Big Winner’s single “Blissin’ Out” just a couple weeks ago, but we couldn’t wait to feature their brand-new album Dinosaur. The entire record is a captivating listen, and it is fascinating to think that it came from the mind of one artist who hasn’t released music since 2019.
Charles Griffin Gibson (or Chuck, as he calls himself) moved from New York to Norway with his wife seven years ago, and felt that it was time to hang it up as a musician. The emotional and mental juice just didn’t seem worth the squeeze anymore, and he wanted to focus on building his life with his new family. But two kids later, Chuck felt isolated from the home he left behind, regretful for pushing his art to the back burner, and in search of an outlet for expressing himself before he went extinct.
Hence Chuck’s return as Big Winner, and the birth of Dinosaur. While Chuck sold all his musical equipment before moving across the Atlantic, he gave himself a challenge: Use only available gear and buy nothing new. This meant using the cheap classical guitar and egg shaker he got from a Norwegian pop star, as well as MIDI instruments, Creative Commons sound effects, and help from freelance musicians on Fiverr. Despite the limitations, Chuck was able to record ten new songs, taking them from the maelstrom of his mind and putting them into waveforms.
The sound is very much steeped in what Chuck knows: Late 2000s/early 2010s indie pop, a la Alex G or the Moldy Peaches. There’s a touch of The Magnetic Fields and Elliott Smith as well, especially on the slower songs (especially “Fastball” and “Snake Eyes”). There’s a touch of experimentalism throughout the record, with ’80s synths and sound effects (cuckoo clocks, dial-up Internet tones, sci-fi tweets and whistles) scattered throughout. And even with the digital overlays, nothing feels overproduced; Dinosaur has an organic feel that makes it seem like Chuck recorded it live to tape in a massive studio, not on an old MacBook.
While Chuck’s music comes from what he knows, the words stem from what he’s learned and felt over the past several years. Dinosaur‘s title comes from his son’s love for the ancient creatures, as well as Chuck’s feeling that he is becoming extinct and that the home he left behind no longer exists as he knew it. Throughout the album, Chuck sings about the balance of being a family man and his own person, of having nostalgia for New York and making the most of the time he has left, and of wanting to be a role model while struggling to shake off old habits.
“Blissin’ Out” is about finding the joy in life’s menial tasks, while “Demon” is about having a bit of anti-socialism while taking the kid out for a walk. “Swallow” is about old habits and bad vibes coming home to roost, while on “Move On”, Chuck sings about finding strength in growing up and getting past lingering fears and anxieties. “Snake Eyes” and “Fastball” are about old memories hitting like stun grenades, and “In Between” amplifies that feeling of getting lost in the self that Chuck was, the self he knows he should be, and the self he wants to be. Finally, the title track is steeped in shattered nostalgia, an almost They Might Be Giants-esque collage of memories of trinkets and events mixed in with a touch of sadness (“Feel like a dinosaur / Don’t wanna be here no more / Feel like a dinosaur / Want to go back to before”).
Despite the deep feelings on Dinosaur, it’s not without its fun tracks: “Dirty Weekend” is a summery track about having a little fling with a partner, getting a hotel room and leaving all the responsibilities of life at home for the weekend. It’s a glimmer of happiness where Chuck gives a little nod to his wife, singing about how despite having a family, the two of them can still find time to have a little fun and be free to be themselves.
The mix of emotions against thoughtfully composed music makes Dinosaur a vibrant self-portrait of Chuck, one that reflects on his past self and how it affected his present. More proof is present right on the album cover, which depicts a dinosaur staring at a cool looking baby and the Devil’s head hanging over both of them. One might read that Chuck is the dinosaur looking after his family, but I choose to see the baby as a younger Chuck; therefore, Chuck is looking back on his life and the choices he made as the death-bringing meteor comes closer and closer. In any case, the Devil still lingers, tempting, whispering, waiting.
Again, Dinosaur is a grand return for Chuck, a perfect mix of polished bedroom pop and experimental indie, and a work that needed its time to marinate. While it is tempting to want more new music now from Big Winner, we know he’s got a lot of other matters on his plate. You can’t rush making art, even if your love for it is so deep that you can’t shake it. Sometimes you need to live your life and let the art come to you.
Take a look at the music video for the title track from Dinosaur below.
Written by Will Sisskind
