Breathers Break In With Synth-Driven Pop

Synth-driven pop (or harsh noise, depending on the act in question) that hat-tips past decades seems like a product of the times. Younger folks with a DIY roadmap and an appreciation for yesteryear’s obscure gems look to the internet for musical inspiration and end up making music with, and sometimes singing about, a different kind of machine.

Breathers fall in line with this assumption on recent album Designed to Break. Three young Atlantans get metaphysical about metadata and other computer terms with the intentionally light-hearted “Bad Algorithm,” the dance-worthy “Only Operator,” and others. Technology probably comes into play in multiple songs because we’re talking about musicians the right age to barely remember when smart phones weren’t commonplace. Apps and widgets are normal stuff to them, as is looking up ’80s synth-pop gems online. They’re simply making otherwise mundane stuff into something clever and surreal.

The real keeper, though, is “1-800-PAIN.” Instead of tooling with technology, the trio turns its attention to the ambulance-chasing attorneys behind some of the most obnoxious billboards and bus-side ads you’ll spot when you’re not too busy looking down at your phone.

Breathers play an Artoberfest after-party on Nov. 10 with Neighbor Lady and Karaoke (a band, not a chance to sing “18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses” in front of strangers) at MET Atlanta – the West End space with the iconic Blue Tower.

Photo by Rob Lambert.