BREATHS is the solo project of Richmond, Virginia-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jason Roberts, who is returning with a new EP called Melt Away on January 19th. Melt Away is a preview of his next full-length album, due out later in 2024, and it’ll be released digitally only.
Melt Away sees BREATHS shift toward a heavy shoegaze sound and a focus on shorter songs, bigger hooks, experimental tones, sound textures, and less genre-bending than previous albums. BREATHS says the album is for fans of Cloakroom, Nothing, Slowdive, Deftones, Holy Fawn, and more.
BREATHS has also tagged the album as doom-gaze, grunge-gaze, and sludge-gaze, so needless to say, Jason has his head down, staring at his pedals a lot during this album. The EP contains four relatively short tracks, starting with “Fade Apart,” which is just short of three minutes. All the hallmarks of shoegaze are in the song, including the textured sound and obscured vocals.
“Barabella (Melt Away)” is a much heavier song, bringing the doom and sludge we just spoke of. The riffs and drums are impressive, and you could call this a love song, as Jason sings in the chorus, “The way you look at me makes me melt away.”
“Waves” is even heavier, bringing a crunchy guitar tone. It’s a longer track at a bit over five minutes that gives us plenty of tones and textures. “Shaken” closes the album with more heavy vibes, showing the Deftones influence. The bass stood out to me on this one, and the riffs are part shoegaze and even part stoner metal.
Fans of shoegaze should surely enjoy Melt Away by BREATHS, but the sheer heaviness of the EP should appeal to listeners of heavier genres, too. Jason has released a ton of music under the BREATHS moniker since 2020, so head to his Bandcamp or Spotify profile to dig into his previous releases, too. Enjoy!
Pre-order Melt Away by BREATHS on Bandcamp here.
Support BREATHS by finding him on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook).
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