B-Side Guys

Folklore has always served a dual purpose—entertaining children while warning adults. On “GIANT,” ABNORM’s Abbie Rose reclaims fairy tale imagery not as bedtime story but as revenge fantasy, transforming childhood monsters into personal manifestos.

The Newcastle outfit’s grunge-inflected instrumentation creates immediate spatial dissonance—guitars that sound simultaneously cavernous and claustrophobic, drums that punch with industrial precision rather than rock spontaneity. This sonic architecture establishes perfect foundation for Rose’s vocals, which shift from taunting whisper to full-throated roar as she declares “David, I’m Goliath/I can be your Giant.”

What elevates “GIANT” beyond standard industry critique is its deliberate subversion of familiar narratives. When Rose invokes “Jack, get off my beanstalk” and “They call me BFG/But I’m not big nor friendly,” she repositions herself as the monster rather than the hero—a calculated choice that acknowledges how female artists are often villainized for demanding respect in male-dominated spaces. The production amplifies this subversion through dynamic contrasts that mirror the song’s emotional landscape—moments of quiet menace exploding into thunderous catharsis.

The track’s climactic chant of “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, I can smell your fear/And I think that you should run” represents the perfect marriage of childhood reference and adult threat. Rose delivers these lines with escalating intensity, transforming playful nursery rhyme into genuine warning. This progression culminates in maniacal laughter that serves as both punctuation and proclamation—the sound of someone who has definitively seized narrative control.

As debut singles go, “GIANT” establishes ABNORM not just as promising newcomers but as mythmakers reclaiming folklore’s power. By inverting traditional power dynamics and embracing the role of monster rather than victim, they’ve created an anthem for anyone who’s ever been underestimated—a battle cry delivered with enough force to make even the tallest giant tremble.