Our Substack’s bio features a quote from our founder Filip: “Every day is a good day to start a track.” It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out writing songs, twenty years into an established music career, or coming back to the art after a long hiatus. When the inspiration strikes, follow your bliss.
Hence the spirit of Big Winner, a.k.a. American-born and Norway-based songwriter Charles Griffin Gibson, who used to make music under the name CHUCK. Even after establishing a modest following from his music – which had received major press coverage and label interest (from our friends at Audio Antihero!) – Gibson found it was hard to balance art with his budding film career and marriage. So he sold all his gear, announced his retirement, and moved to Scandinavia with his wife, leaving his old hobby behind.
And yet, the music kept calling. So Gibson pulled out his trusty MacBook and started writing, resulting in the creation of his first new single as Big Winner. “Blissin’ Out” brings back what in his CHUCK days Gibson called “eccentric weird kid alt-pop”, a form of bedroom pop that brings to mind indie films from the late 2000s. (Think JUNO, Adventureland, and the like.) Weezer, Alex G, and Car Seat Headrest also fit Gibson’s style.
“Blissin’ Out” may feel like the “weird kid alt-pop”, but only in its musicality: Gibson’s retro synths, slowed-down guitar riffs, and inclusion of hip-hop elements pair well with lyrics from a more mature state of mind. Gibson now has two kids, a steady career, a happy marriage, and twenty years of experience writing music; he’s far removed from the artist who was once writing anxious songs about dating in your 20s. However, Gibson hasn’t forgotten how to write a song with a groovy vibe.
On the new single, Gibson sings about the simple joys of being a family man, singing about doing menial tasks with a smile. It’s a nice way to tie his reborn hobby to his everyday life, bringing what used to make him smile as a younger artist into the present day. It’s wholesome and heartfelt, and a great preview of the tracks that will appear on his upcoming album Dinosaur (out November 13th.)
We’re glad to welcome Gibson back to the world of music as Big Winner, and very happy he decided to start a new track after all this time. Check out the animated music video for “Blissin’ Out” below.
Written by Will Sisskind
