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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This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a dreamy single worth checking out.  Written by: The Administrator If there's a single constant here at ye olde Sleeping Village, it is that I will inevitably devour anything that spawns from the creative universe of Richmond's own Jason Roberts. Besides being the mastermind behind Breaths--a band that I enjoy quite a bit, as evidenced by our multiple track premieres over the years--Jason has since started a new band with a pitch that is frankly tantalizing: "somei blend shoegaze and dream pop elements with doom and sludge metal in a way that is accessible and refreshing." I'm pleased to report that said concoction of genres is, indeed, as accessible and refreshing as promised. somei have two tracks available, with today's single in question being my favorite of the two by an admittedly narrow margin. "barbarella (melt away)" brings some doomy yet unconfrontational weight in the riff department alongside a now-trademark vocal levity, both of which serve to cast a dreamy haze--or perhaps glow--over the track as a whole. Whereas most bands that dabble in the realm of doom and sludge tend to feel intrinsically earthbound, somei leans into the ethereal, evoking the feeling of floating through cloudy skies in a hot air balloon. Outside of overtly shoegaze-y projects such a Slowdive, the closest point of comparison I have might be something like Hum, if they traded a certain sense of grounded stoicism for a more blatantly delicate tone. Despite the gentle vocal delivery, there's a uniquely somber vibe at play, like I'm sipping the nectar of melancholia. In terms of the track itself, the chorus is hooky as hell, and the track ramps up the heavy riffage towards the end for an outro that leans into the heft. While not typically one who watches music videos, the video for this particular track does reflect that doleful tone quite well through striking use of purples and yellows. I highly recommend watching/listening, the video truly does elevate the experience. While I do wish somei had more tracks available at this point, I'll certainly be giving this track (and its companion b-side, the excellent "Shaken") some quality time in rotation. Find it on bandcamp here! |
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