Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from one of our favourites, The Breakdown. Jump The Shark was released on July 28th, 2023.
Jump The Shark is a nod to the Happy Days show and the desperate attempts to recover a failing TV show. The song is a musical commentary on the highs and lows of long-running TV series. It explores the cliffhangers, the loss of ideas and originality often seen in later seasons. The song serves as a metaphor for life as well, by deliberating whether we are experiencing significant moments in our lives or just experiencing filler moments.
Starting with a captivating drum pattern, the full band quickly leap in and give Jump The Shark a nostalgic late 80s feeling. The synths and guitars fill the sound beautifully while lead vocals lend a Paul Heaton-style sound. There are moments throughout the track when we were reminded of both Beautiful South and the Housemartins.
The rise and fall in this track is very effective and keeps the listener thoroughly engaged. A couple of instrumental sections switch things up nicely. The first instrumental breakdown has some superb drum fills, nicely balanced under a heavily affected guitar solo. The second solo has a triumphant Bob Seger-style tone and riff and sends the listener triumphantly to the end with a long fade out, leaving you with a big smile on your face – another superb track from this talented UK band.
Ideas from our ears
A small cut around 250Hz in the vocal track and another around 600Hz would help reduce some low mid and mid peaks and make the vocals a little cleaner. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
We are consistently impressed with The Breakdown. Jump The Shark is a tantalising 80s-tinged New Wave track that we insist you turn up high!
https://thebreakdown.band
https://www.facebook.com/WeAreTheBreakdown/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4kcLNTZpOKAutZ4DhohZnS?si=61xN2yOWQEad0BW_wxXM1w
https://soundcloud.com/user-213777296
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl2hudW7D6iT2jxC6WvBLsQ
https://mobile.twitter.com/_The_Breakdown
https://wearethebreakdown.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.instagram.com/wearethebreakdown/
https://www.songkick.com/artists/10250345-breakdown-uk/calendar