London based, The Breakdown, have released a new single, Summer Song, from their forthcoming (as yet unnamed album) and we grabbed the chance for a listen here at Send Me Your Ears.
I’m intrigued by the band’s history. It seems that they re-formed just before lockdown after a very lengthy hiatus and are now pulling together material and looking to get out on the road. Chance meetings often lead to renewed relationships and it seems that these old school friends have a renewed vigour for getting their message out there.
Summer Song is a tale of sadness. The end of a relationship. A rather incongruous theme as the title puts you in mind of happy days in the sunshine. The only connection to summer, apparently, is that is when the song was written.
The song starts with just strummed electric guitar before the full band sound comes in shortly after. The opening riff is catchy and we’re still humming it whilst we write our review!
When the vocals come in, the whole song reminded me a little of The Smiths, although the vocalist himself could almost be mistaken for Paul Heaton (Beautiful South).
The thing that makes this song special for me is the guitar solo. There’s something about the tone of the guitar (almost Santana and Rob Thomas – Smooth) and the choice of notes that lifts this song into a whole different realm.
I like the build up on the synth leading up to the solo and I like that everything cuts out apart from the guitar at the start of the solo before the full band comes in. It really helps to maintain interest and rise the song.
The stinger ending is a good idea. This isn’t a song that should fade out. These guys mean business. I look forward to following their progress as they search out gigs in the London area. I can see that The Breakdown will put on a great live show.
I think the song is well written and well performed but there’s something to me about the production that fell a little flat with me, which was a surprise when I read the credits. There’s very little in the top end of the track apart from sibilance in the vocals. I would suggest considering bringing the top end of the drums up a little to help balance out the track and give it a little more life. There’s also a very middley frequency that’s a little dominant in the vocal track. I’d boost a little around 100Hz to give the kick drum more punch and add a little warmth to the bass. The G3 in the electric guitar at the start is resonating just a little too much for my liking – a slight notch at 196Hz will tidy this up. Obviously, these are just my personal opinions, but for me, this is a great great track that just needs a few tweaks.
I’m excited to hearing how The Breakdown progress. Some great live bookings will gel them together even more and I really hope to see them soar in London and the surrounding areas. Next stop – the world?!