Album Review: Breaths – Breaths (Pleasure Tapes)

Richmond, Virginia based heavy shoegaze/doomgaze solo project Breaths will release his self-titled fourth album on July 19th, 2024 via Pleasure Tapes.

The perfect combination of melodic beauty and morose heaviness, Breaths style of shoegaze combined with doom and ambient drone has always proven to be very captivating, but the man reaches a new high with this fourth album. One that can rightfully be called stunning from beginning to end. Where the listener will find themselves fully enveloped by the dreamy beauty and damning heaviness.

The first few tracks will sell this album to most. First, there’s Fade Apart, and Breaths creating an immersive introduction that is experimental, haunting, and very pretty. Then with Barbarella (Melt Away), a heavier and more forceful track. Before Waves arrives to wash the mind away in a flurry of fuzzy sounds, clean melodic passages, and dreamy vocals. The latter of the three is a very special track, but each adds so much weight to the early statement that this entire album is very special.

Even more proof coming in the form of Dream Walking and Shaken. The former combines echoing melody that cuts right through to the soul with hefty dopamine hits of heavy. The latter, having some of the doomiest vibes of all, and offering up something with more head banging qualities.

Breaths managing to keep things interesting, so very moody, and memorable with heady hit after heady hit. Sing to Me, Hide in Starlight, Sliding, and Unsettling (Settle In). Breaths continuing to be thrillingly experimental, sometimes really weird, and giving new meaning to the genre terms of shoegaze and doomgaze. Notably, so captivating, that the album’s runtime is barely noticeable and the end arrives out of the blue. An ending that is lavish, comes with lashings of emotion, and puts the emphatic stamp on the overall quality of this release.

Breaths has done it again, leaving one hell of an impression, as is always the case.

Breaths – Breaths Track Listing:

1. Fade Apart
2. Barbarella (Melt Away)
3. Waves
4. Dream Walking
5. Shaken
6. Sing To Me
7. Hide In Starlight
8. Sliding
9. Unsettling (Settle In)
10. Embody

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Pleasure Tapes