LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s a curious kind of heartbreak that doesn’t come from romance but from friendship — the slow unraveling of a bond that once felt like home. On “Big Time,” the latest single from Miami’s genre-bending outfit Mustard Service, that very ache is set to a bright, bouncy rhythm that betrays its emotional core — and that contradiction is exactly what makes it so damn addictive.
From the jump, *“Big Time”* grooves with a sun-drenched confidence. The rhythm section — tight, pulsing, and impossible to ignore — locks you in before you even realize the subject matter cuts deep. Produced and engineered by Chad Copelin (who has worked with Wilderado and Broncho), the track layers jangly guitars, bossa-tinged grooves, and a buoyant bassline that practically dares you not to move. Think The Strokes on a beach in Havana, margarita in hand but tears behind the sunglasses.
The trio — Marco Rivero Ochoa (vocals/guitar), Leo Cattani (keys), and Adam Perez (drums) — doesn’t just dabble in influences. They melt surf rock, indie pop, and Latin rhythms into a singular sound they’ve dubbed “zest pop” — and frankly, there’s no better term for it. Their Latin heritage flows through the DNA of every track, infusing “Big Time” with both vibrancy and veracity.
Lyrically, the song hits a universal nerve: the painful clarity of realizing someone you love is dragging you down. Of the song, the band says:
“This song is basically about cutting off a friend who you really love — but you know you have to cut them off or else you’re gonna drown with them.”
That sentiment is never overwrought — instead, it’s buoyed by an irresistibly upbeat vocal cadence that turns the act of letting go into something cathartic, almost celebratory.
There’s a drop after the bridge — subtle but crucial — that injects the chorus with fresh propulsion. It’s the kind of arrangement that makes you nod in approval as you nod along to the beat. And that’s “Big Time”’s hook: it feels good going down, even as it breaks your heart.
Mustard Service’s catalog — now on full rotation in this writer’s headphones — reveals a band with a keen ear for emotional complexity disguised in sonic sunshine. The fact that I missed their recent LA gig at the Fonda Theatre is a regret that stings a bit sharper now. But if *“Big Time”* is any indicator, they’re gearing up for a major year — and I’ll be first in line when they hit the West Coast again.
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