Blending orchestral chambergaze with melancholic fuzz rock, Breach is the stunning debut album from Detroit-based ensemble harper. The album’s title track opens the release in riveting form. “Breach” is described by the band as “a synecdoche of the record, illustrating how our struggles can become so familiar that they feel like routines.” A mixture of cathedral organs and heartrending strings make for a lovably grandiose commencement, giving way to vocals that exude a poetic lyrical charm: “Kick and scream / The water’s cold / But you love the relief of the air.” Rhythmic ruminations and jangly guitars move seamlessly, with the ensuing “do you want to talk about?” vocal melding with shoegaze-y guitar warmth. It’s a beautiful starter to an exceptional album.
“Anymore” stirs as well, playing as an introspective guitar-forward ballad, “about paranoia and isolation as a result of romantic loss.” The album’s first single, “Anymore” delights in its gauzy guitar tones and textured warmth, as does the ensuing “In & Out.” That track reminds fondly of Wild Nothing in its serene guitar work and steady rhythms, pairing with personal lyrical entrancement, based on lyricist Zach Reed’s relocation experience in moving from the American West Coast to the American Midwest. Album finale “Wez ii” resonates in its dynamic tonal range, from immediate bursts of distortion to hazier serenity. It’s also a cathartic thematic output, capturing the moment one has “breached” the surface and freed themselves from their struggles and expectations. Riveting in both theme and melodic rock immersion, Breach is an excellent album from harper.
—
Several of these album tracks and others featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
