For years, Boston’s local royalty Couch carried a familiar preface. “If you like Lake Street Dive, you’ll love them.” Or, “They’re like early Lawrence.” The comparisons made sense, but they also sold the band short. With their debut full-length Big Talk, out today, Couch finally shrugs off the shorthand and delivers something that sounds fully, unmistakably their own. The record captures the electricity of their live shows and distills it into a studio album that is polished without losing personality, full of big-band confidence and emotional punch.
The album kicks open with “On The Wire,” a swaggering groove that makes its intention clear from the first horn notes. The guitars dance along, the horn lines snap, and Tema Siegel belts with a sense of command. It’s instantly danceable, a day-one crowd-pleaser, and a clear sign that Couch is operating on a higher level than their early EP years.
Couch has always worked in color, not grayscale, and Big Talk thrives on dynamic range as much as rhythm. “Slow Burn” pulls back the tempo and leans into nostalgia, longing for the kind of teenage crush that kept you out past curfew and wired on adrenaline. The sweetness turns back into sweat on “What Were You Thinking,” an album standout built on a tight bassline and horn arrangements that drive the song forward. The band understands something too many pop-adjacent acts forget: horns don’t need to be decorations. Sometimes they can be the one in the driver seat.
The record’s emotional center arrives with track five, where Couch strips the arrangement down to voice and guitar. It’s restrained, tender, and one of the album’s strongest moments. “I don’t have to look at all the windows outside. I’m happy looking out of mine,” Siegel sings, and instead of swelling into melodrama, the song blossoms with taste: small touches of piano, strings, and brass that lift the melody without ever crowding it.
From there, Big Talk tightens its grip. “Little Less Over You” might be the stickiest hook on the album, built for shouting choruses and dancing crowds. “Middle Man” and “Transparent” keep the momentum high, letting the rhythm section flex without overshadowing the band’s signature vocal blend. This is where Couch proves they’re not just a charismatic singer with players behind her. They’re an ensemble in the truest sense, with each member shaping the band’s sound.
The final stretch winds down the dance party. The closer, “So Myself,” lands as a thematic resolution, celebrating clarity, confidence, and self-definition. It’s a fitting conclusion for an album obsessed with connection, identity, and love.
Big Talk succeeds because it sounds like a band arriving at their sound, not imitating another’s. The live-show energy that has packed rooms across the U.S. and Europe is finally intact on record. After years of building a local following, self-producing, and grinding their way from tiny venues to international touring, Couch now feels less like a promising Boston act and more like a national one.
The band will take Big Talk on an ambitious international tour through 2025, including major stops like Roadrunner in Boston, Brooklyn Steel in New York, the Fonda in Los Angeles, and KOKO in London. Tickets are available through the band’s website.
Listen to Big Talk here.
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