Australia’s kings of the melodramatic and the absurd, Big Reef, are back and sounding more truthful. The brotherly duo of Morgan and Hayden Quinn, who have long covered existential dread in glitter and synths, released their newest single, “Best,” a gloriously dizzying ride through self-doubt, performance, and pop perfection.
“Best” takes it by the collar and yells in your face with a wink. At its surface, it’s a high-gloss, irony-laced banger that oozes the ‘80s pulsing drum machines, wet basslines, and harmonies so sugary they might rot your teeth. The sheen wears off, and the track reveals a gut-punch meditation on impostor syndrome, served with theatrical flair and not even a scrap of remorse.
“Best” unfolds in a deeply cinematic way. The track is a scene from a musical taking place in a bright void. Every note is tracked and curated, every effect intentional, and every vocal harmony a candy-coated dagger. It’s sculpted, mostly from behind the desk, as the duo turns the spotlight on themselves to reveal their doubts and defiance.
“Best” is what happens when the dancefloor becomes a confessional booth. It’s queasy and vicious, campy and brutal, self-aware to a fault, and the better for it. Big Reef wants you to interrogate why you’re dancing to it in the first place. And that’s the genius of it. Big Reef shows that pop gets much more interesting when it stops pretending to have all the answers.