Bunchy’s Big Score is an Ōtepoti art/pop/rock band who have become well-loved in the local scene over the past two years. Known for their noisy ear-worm bangers and ridiculously fun live shows, the quartet is preparing for what will be their biggest year yet.
The band’s current lineup consists of Max (vocals/keys, he/him), Jack (guitar, he/him), Niki (bass/vocals, she/her), and Reef (drums, he/him). You may recognise these names and faces from an endless list of other local bands such as U-No Juno, Out of Luck!, Give Up, and Vagina Dry. It’s like the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ of the Ōtepoti music scene. To unearth the Bunchy’s lore, Critic Te Ārohi caught up with the quartet at Niki’s living room, with Reef joining via phone call.
The music of Bunchy’s Big Score began to materialise around 2022, initially just as an idea of Max’s for a ‘lo-fi recording project’. “I laboured a lot over the band name,” reflects Max. “Like, it's just gotta roll off the tongue. Familiar but bizarre at the same time”. Commenting on the band’s musical style, Reef reckons they’re “like the band Hi-5 [Aussie children’s music group], but if they were an art rock band.” An oddly appropriate descriptor for the group, Critic reckons.
Max recruited the help of Hamish Waddell, who was the band’s guitarist until last year. Max’s songwriting, combined with Hamish’s DIY recording and production/songwriting assistance resulted in the first Bunchy’s Big Score album “Happy Birthday, Daniel Johnston!!! Don't Be Afraid...<3” which was released in February last year.
That first record features hits that range from the noisy and infectious “Scrapbook”, to the gentle vulnerability of closing track “WN”. Of course, Max was inspired by lo-fi artists like Daniel Johnston (see: the album title). Looking back, he’s happy they put it out but “probably just wouldn’t have done it that way now [...] We wanted to sound like the Velvet Underground, but I don’t think it really sounds like that after the end product.” Max explains the album’s lo-fi sound as being the perfect audio representation for his sensitive writing style. He adds, “I also like bands that can have songs that are really dirty and nasty and loud and disgusting, and the next song is like, a soft love song or something that’s really vulnerable.”
Since the release of “Happy Birthday, Daniel Johnston!!!....” the band has seen a significant lineup change, going from a trio to a quartet with the addition of Jack and Niki, which has thickened the band’s live presence and sound (no beef with Hamish, more on him soon) “I think that the musical chemistry is different”, Reef muses. “I never realised how much we needed a bass player until we got one. I never realised how much room we had for it, you know?”
The current members of Bunchy’s were all in the same circles for years, playing shows with their various musical projects. Both Max and Jack also had a stint playing in Reef’s band Out of Luck! (one of Reef’s many, many bands).
With this reinvigorated lineup, the Bunchy’s crew are gearing up for their second full-length album, “Wanda’s Bicycle”, which will release in June. To support this monumental release, the band will embark on a five-date nationwide tour from June to July. Max remarked that they’re all set to go ahead, “as long as our flights don’t get cancelled”.
A handful of tracks on “Wanda’s Bicycle” have been in the works for “probably a year and a half”, Reef estimates, with many of the unreleased tunes becoming staples in their live set. “I think there’s the whole spectrum of emotions in the album”, says Max. “There’s a lot of songs that are really, really quite sad, and then some that are really happy and rambunctious and joyous as well. Lots of happy, aggressive noise in the music.”
“Wanda’s Bicycle” was recorded by Nick Roughan at Southlink Studios, a departure from the DIY flat recording of the first album. Mixing and mastering duties were handled by now-ex guitarist Hamish Waddell, who also features as the lead vocalist in “Oscar Says”, the album’s first single. They just can’t get rid of him!
Explaining the lyrical inspiration behind “Oscar Says”, Max explains, “I think it’s about miscommunication basically. The frustration of trying to say something to someone and the wrong words come out [...] The way Hamish delivers the verses communicates that, and the chorus just sounds like a big argument to me.”
On “Oscar Says”, Bunchy’s Big Score is sounding better than ever, with irresistibly catchy hooks and a noisy but deliberate production style. We can’t wait to hear what else they’ve been cooking up for us.
“Oscar Says”, from the upcoming album “Wanda’s Bicycle” is out now! Follow @bunchysbigscore on Instagram to keep up to date with their album release and upcoming Aotearoa tour
