Comprising four cuts that were originally intended for inclusion on 2015's Perpetual Motion People and two that were slated to appear on 2012's Year of No Returning, Big Fugitive Life should be a so-so, filler-heavy stopgap to tide fans over until Furman's next full-length. Instead, it's a densely packed power lunch proving that Furman might be brimming over with enough good ideas to warrant an EP every couple of months. Opener and single "Teddy I'm Ready" pairs bubbly Brill Building pop architecture, girl group "ooohs" and "ahhhs," and a screaming sax solo with one of Furman's best melodies and vocal takes to date. The excellent follow-up, "Halley's Comet," dishes out some sweet, Joey Santiago-inspired surf guitar work, but it's the propulsive "Little Piece of Trash" that takes home the gold, sticking the landing with a ballsy, sax-heavy social beatdown that sounds like the finale of the world's most hedonistic sock-hop.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo