BREATHS - embody (Track Premiere)

Written by: The Administrator

Here's an immutable law of the universe: when prolific creative and longtime friend of the blog Jason Roberts has a new album on the horizon, I will be primed and ready to participate in pre-album hype. Indeed, this particular Breaths premiere is far from our first. I can only hope it far from our last.

Thus, we're pumped to announce the release of Breaths fourth album! The self-titled Breaths, out July 19th via Pleasure Tapes, represents a slight sonic change and indeed contains several songs that were originally released under another moniker. I quite enjoyed that project's first few tracks, but was excited to see that Somei had been absorbed under the Breaths umbrella. While textured ethereal moments have always been central to the Breaths formula, this forthcoming album leans away from the more overt aggression, opting instead to deliver a masterclass in dreamy-yet-heavy shoegaze haze. It's a smart move, given a preexisting inclination to write music that embraces fuzzy melancholia.

"embody," today's track premiere in question, serves as the album closer, and represents a notable emphasis on floaty hooks and a tone that feels simultaneously--and paradoxically--monolithic in its distortion yet buoyant in terms of general atmosphere. But! Lest I get too far ahead of myself, please give "embody" a listen below. As a treat, you can check out the previously released tracks as well, all of which are damn good. We'll meet you on the other side!

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Although the refocus in sound is highlighted in promo material, Breaths has always felt like a project less constrained by sonic boundaries and more defined by aesthetic similarities. On "embody," the vocals are instantly recognizable--that dreamy and cloud-stepping vocal tone never fails to evoke a floaty sense of bliss, regardless of lyrical content. Jason's voice is truly one-of-a-kind, and consistently makes me feel like I'm languidly soaring through sunlit cotton candy clouds, the warm pink glow of the rising sun through closed eyelids. And that, let me tell you, is an endlessly endearing quality. Meanwhile, the guitar is distinct in terms of both time and application--there's a richly dynamic quality that weaves through the discography at large. Here, after that engaging opening riffs, the guitars are layered and fluid, omnipresent, but enveloping rather than crushing. They build, yet never overwhelm. It's a delicate tightrope, and there's a trademark elegance at play. Tonally, "embody" is less out-of-the-box than some of the album's other tracks, leaning more into an odd hookiness as a defining characteristic. There's something addictive about this track, and the self-titled album as a whole. The replay factor is quite strong.

Whether or not said style informs further releases is unknown, but even if this album serves as a singular foray into this particular sound, consider me satisfied. In Jason's words: "I originally wrote and released a few of these songs under the name Somei, but after an attempt at making Breaths live a reality failed I realized that the music fit where I (and Breaths by extension) was at the time. I decided to keep Breaths as my only solo project and bring others into the fold, and finishing this more shoegaze influenced record was the clear next step for Breaths. Who knows what will come next but I had a lot of fun fully leaning into this style." 

If you're interested in hearing further examples of Breaths experimentation in the realm of heavy shoegaze, I highly recommend checking out the melt away EP over on Bandcamp, which serves as a preview and features four (!) similarly excellent tracks. Otherwise, make a mental bookmark for July 19th, when the album will drop in full. Breaths is a stellar effort, and well worth the wait.

Breaths - Breaths (July 19, Pleasure Tapes). Preorder digitalhere, cassette preorder to follow!

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Breaths can be found:
Bandcamp
Instagram