Last Friday (May 31), Big Head Todd and The Monsters (BHTM) released their new album Her Way Out, their first in nearly seven years. Similar to when I first heard Cordovas’ The Rose of Aces (August 2023), I have a feeling the Colorado rock band’s 12th full-length studio project will be among my favorite new music releases of the year. Sometimes you just know!
While BHTM officially were formed in 1986 in Boulder, I only came across the group earlier this year and first covered them in my Sunday Six weekly recurring feature. Remarkably, three of their current four members have been there from the beginning: Todd Park Mohr (vocals, guitar, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica), Rob Squires (bass, vocals) and Brian Nevin (drums). Jeremy Lawton (keyboards, lap pedal/steel guitar, vocals) joined permanently in 2003.
A detailed timeline on BHTM’s website reveals Rob and Brian have played together in a band since 1981. They met Todd in 1983 and formed a cover band called TJ and the Twist. At the time, they all went to the same high school. When they graduated, the group disbanded. Todd and Brian stayed in touch, reunited with Rob in 1986 and formed the initial version of BHTM. In 1988, the three borrowed $5,000 from their parents and recorded their first CD, Another Mayberry, which came out the following year.
Fast-forward some 35 years, 10 additional studio albums, many tours and various accolades, which mostly recently included their 2023 induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. Her Way Out evolved from Monsters Music Monthly, a monthly series BTHM hosted for two years where each month they offered a free new song and video or a new version of a classic track – a nice way to stay engaged with their fans when they weren’t touring!
Let’s take a look at some music. The album’s opener and title track first appeared as an upfront single on January 8. Mohr described it to Rock & Blues Muse as straightforward American pop rock: jangly, anthemic, and up-tempo. “Basically, ‘Her Way Out’ is tough guitar and piano rock betrayed by a lyric that implies trust is fragile, and true love is a difficult but empowering achievement if it is maintained.” Mohr also noted that musically the song is reminiscent of Tom Petty and has a Springsteen-esque bridge. Vocally, Mohr somewhat reminds me of John Hiatt. What a terrific opener!
I’m skipping the AC/DC-flavored Thunderbird, another upfront single, since I previously included it in a Catching Up new music post, and go right away to Crush, the album’s first single released last November. “Crush is about how we are formed by our past and the voices that influence us for good or not,” Mohr noted in a piece on the website of music PR firm Devious Planet. “It could be about how one was told from an early age that they couldn’t do something. My chorus, ‘Heavy words broke my bones,’ is personal and political. One believes lies until we see they are really a set of handcuffs and we want our freedom.”
Another early favorite is Glorious Full Moon, a catchy rocker with a great sound. I love the chorus in particular. BTW, I should note that all songs on the album were written by Mohr.
The groovy King Kong is “inspired by a large movie poster in my basement of King Kong on top of the Empire State Building,” Mohr explained on BTHM’s website. “I’m drawn to these iconic contemporary heroes who are also monsters. They are complicated because they destroy so much, yet are sympathetic to children and fall in love with human women. These ‘Titans’, as they are called, are often monsters of our own making. It’s exciting to perform live.”
The final track I’d like to call out is the closer Rainbow Girl. “It’s inspired by my daughter Margo,” Mohr stated in the above web piece. “She’s six now, but she’s obsessed with unicorns and rainbows, as all girls are. I was interested in how those symbols related to life and relationships compared to the male toys and interests of the same age. I wanted to understand what Unicorn power was. It turns out, they can help things pretty well. They’re practical. I found a superhero comic book character from the sixties who was Rainbow Girl. She had these psychological powers and spells, so I knit it all into a fun song.”
“We have a very distinct personality as a band,” Mohr explained on BTHM’s website. “I write to the sensibilities of each member, because they’re going to have to dig playing it. We’re a benevolent democracy. If one guy isn’t connecting with a certain song, that song is out. As an uncomplicated rock band, we like to do things that are ‘proper’—loud guitars, drums, big bass, and well-placed organ, keys, and lap steel. We road-tested every song on the record before recording a lick. All of that helped us dial in the arrangements, ditch tunes that didn’t work, and grow a strong sense of what our individual parts should be.”
That perfectly sums it up to me. I’m leaving you with a Spotify link to the album.
Sources: Wikipedia; BHTM website; Rock & Blues Muse; Devious Planet website; YouTube; Spotify
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