Project Description
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ALICIA SALERNO
‘The Big Evil’
(Single Review)
Release Date:
4th November 2022
Pre-Save HERE
Reviewer: Melanie Griffiths
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Alicia Salerno lays herself bare in her debut single the raw and emotional “The Big Evil”. The young singer lets us in with a song that emanates vulnerability as it depicts her first experience with epilepsy.
The origins of “The Big Evil” came from a place of confusion and fear when Alicia suffered her first tonic clonic seizure. These types of seizures are known for causing loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions in those who experience them. Can you imagine the anxiety you would feel going through something so foreign for the first time? For Alicia, she put pen to paper writing about her experience as an entry in her journal. What was intended to be a private vignette was brought to the surface and explored to become “The Big Evil”.
The song’s lilting rhythm conveys a quiet sadness with Alicia’s voice delivering a nuanced tender vocal performance. Her voice whilst sweet also carries a sense of empathy sounding like a siren calling out to you from the shore. Producer Mark Flanders was enlisted to develop the initial concept and their partnership has given “The Big Evil” an epic vista to launch itself from.
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Embracing the use of classical instruments with electronic samples the song builds tension with the use of mournful violins and expansive airy synths and an electronic drumbeat that mimics Alicia’s beating heart. The indietronica lyrics depict Alicia’s slow and frightening experience as she falls into a tonic clonic seizure. For Alicia, she feels the waves of anxiety and dread wash over her as she realises her body is about to have a seizure. “The Big Evil” darkly conveys all these feelings from its production and performance leaving you feeling like you’ve just lost something but you’re not sure what.
“The Big Evil’s” name come from the french term “Grand Mal” alluding to the thought that these seizures were once thought to be demonic. And for Alicia, there is something insidious about her condition that causes her to be in a battle with her mind and body. For a debut single it shows that the singer-songwriter is not afraid to expose her deepest fears, moreover, it shows us that she is willing to explore the themes that other artists may shy away from.
Take a moment and delve into the world of Alica Salerno when “The Big Evil” is released in digital stores on Friday, the 4th of November.
“The Big Evil” will will be available across all digital stores on Friday, 4th of November.
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Pre-Save HERE
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Check out ALICIA SALERNO below
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