Getdown Services – Massive Champion

In times where things can easily feel pretty gloomy, Getdown Services are a potent musical antidote. The Minehead-raised duo (Josh Law and Ben Sadler) started their project during lockdown with the humble aim of trying to make each other laugh. Their 2023 debut album Crisps delivered a scurry of breakneck tracks, inspired by their similarly chaotic live shows, spreading quickly via word-of-mouth. 

They’ve been prolific since, sharing two further EPs and collections of B-sides, as well as travelling the globe on their first headline tours. Now, they’re putting smiles on more faces than they could have imagined, but their latest collection of songs isn't all gags and punchlines. 

Massive Champion is Getdown Services’ second full-length album. It sees the pair dig deep into their own complexities, while also retaining the chaotic edge they’re renowned for. Its star track, The Radiator, epitomises this part of their irrepressible nature; its nonsense lyrics on gas leaks and boiled egg air fresheners are undeniably addictive when paired with their crescendoing dance beats – their Later… with Jools Holland rendition paints this picture vividly. Lentils follows in hedonistic fashion with lyrics on clean living, while The Definitive Map offers an angular rant against battery farming near their hometown: 'Now I’m in the battery farm with all the chickens / We’re all fucking sick of it / Bob Dylan went electric / He went fucking shit.'

The band’s ability to incorporate an array of usually opposing genres is impressive throughout. From the opening banjos of Poor Bannister – an observational tale of a rather interesting bus journey – to the rock‘n'roll guitars of Probiotic and the summer pop synths of Check the Definition, the duo’s endearing personalities bind everything together, allowing this mish-mash to work.

However, the album also delivers more poignant moments of storytelling. A Crazy Story’s endearing spoken-word phone conversation is a mid-point comfort blanket on British day-to-day life. Cha Cha Slide veers into introspection of childhood anxieties (rather than any silliness its title may allude to) while Stop Living contrasts Chic-like guitars with morbid lyrics on working-class life: 'Chewed up, spat out / Get on the path for big clout / No doubt that dark cloud’s gonna make me look a fat clown'.

Massive Champion proves that Getdown Services are no joke. This triumphant, nostalgic ode to their childhood declares them as one of the country’s most exciting new bands.

Listen to: The Radiator, Stop Living