Staying on the south coast of the UK for this one, I shuffle sideways to Plymouth and meet Breather, a fledgling band, young, lively, and ready to take on the world. With a debut EP out on September 1st and the release show on the 2nd at The Underground, Plymouth, these young guns know a thing or two about life and all its trappings.
On first inspection, I’m thrown back to the heady days of the Indie charts from the 80’s, oh how I loved those bands like Echobelly, My Bloody Valentine and The Cocteau Twins. This EP has all those elements that made Shoegaze such a unique and acquired taste, the opener ‘We Know Pt 1’ is a lure, we are ensnared, and we want to hear more. It has an awareness of what is happening around us, but conveys the message gently, like a massage, you listen, you take it in, and you feel better for that, even if the truth is the bitterest of pills. We can still learn from this, it’s just a different way of presenting the failings of our society.
We have a ballad which is typical of that Indie sound, ‘Unknown’ is smooth and lush, still harbouring the seriousness of our lives but less brutal in the delivery.
Now this next one ‘What Are You Saying’ gives me that utterly batshit insane attitude and persona of The Pixies, I can see Black Francis waiting in the wings ready to grab the mic at any second.
Breather are Scott -vocals, Josh – vocals/guitar, Sam – lead guitar, Jack – bass and Harry on drums, formed in January this year, they are the new kids on the block. This type of talent and interest that our young people are showing in an ever burgeoning industry, needs to be welcomed and listened too, they are the future of music. I have said it before, the veterans have given us a solid legacy, they paved the way, and now we need to help the new artists with their journey.
We finish with ‘Wrong’ and it has those sweet little guitar parts at 0.45 and 0.58, that are just swoonsome and bringers of happiness.
It’s been a tough few years my friends, so that we can all learn how to be Indie, it’s time to take a breather.
Azra Pathan
Breather – self titled debut EP out September 1st, 2023