Manchester band False Advertising are no strangers to this, even though some media outlets are presenting them as brand new. ‘Next Big Thing’ is the first single from their upcoming album The Sorry Window (due for release on 1 May 2026). The project began in the wake of Brainfreeze (2019), survived the pandemic lockdown, and evolved from solitary demos into a collaborative process co-produced by Luke Pickering (Fontaines D.C., Arlo Parks).
‘Next Big Thing ‘hits you right from the outset. Brace yourself for a lift-off, because that’s exactly what it’s aiming for. Right from the start, it sets a fast-paced rhythm with post-punk roots, underpinned by a bassline that carries the weight of the groove. However, False Advertising haven’t lost their nineties DNA — the opening has an almost QOTSA-esque quality — and this translates into moments of tension, with distorted guitars accompanying the song’s drive. Jen Hingley plays a big part here; her voice has an unpolished, almost effervescent quality and a punk attitude that, at times, recalls Karla Chubb (Sprints). Nevertheless, the band balances this intensity with a clear melodic instinct, incorporating catchy choruses that anchor the song and define their identity within the British DIY scene.
Lyrically, ‘Next Big Thing’ dismantles ambition until it becomes uncomfortable. What begins as a performative assertion gradually reveals itself to be an exercise in self-deception. When the ‘I’ becomes ‘you’ (‘maybe you are the next big thing / because you squeeze all the good out of everything’), it is unclear whether Hingley is addressing someone else or an inner voice. This ambiguity is precisely the mechanism that the song exposes. The final blow, ‘You will never be the next big thing’, sounds internalised, as if the whole narrative of expectations has turned against the self.
Jen herself puts it bluntly:
“There’s this idea that you have to present your band as if you’re already the next big thing. This song is about how unrealistic that is — and how most of it is just trying to get past your own self-doubt.”
It’s an idea that goes beyond the song itself, and anyone who has ever tried to make a name for themselves in the music industry will recognise it immediately.
I don’t know if False Advertising will be the next big thing, but that’s not the point. What matters is that there are bands out there who can get us moving and make us question things, and that is what counts in the end. We’ll find out more on 1 May.
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