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Breathers challenge perceptions of synth-pop on their new album Designed to Break. Each song is a refreshingly honest dive into the modern human psyche balanced with vibrant synth lines that capture the imagination and drip like dew into our parched subconscious. Despite the pop moniker, Breathers defy categorization, drawing inspiration from the Sophisti-pop movement and the cryptic poetry of Steely Dan. Even the album title is multi-faceted, referencing both the analog gear that Breathers use to craft their sound and the disposable nature of modern technology.

Over the past few years, Breathers have laid the groundwork for Designed to Break with a series of insightful tracks featuring T. Lee Gunselman and Jake Thomson on synths and vocals, with Mike Netland providing live drums and sequencing. The result is a danceable mix of organic and synthetic sounds that warp traditional song structures into something subversive yet enticing. Throughout this album, lead singer and lyricist Gunselman offers thoughtful observations on isolation and anxiety, focusing on the corresponding weaknesses and strengths of the human spirit, and the importance of listening to oneself apart from the cacophony of an increasingly commercialized world. Each topic is couched in a comforting sensitivity which plays off the spacious chords and delicate melodies of Designed to Break.

Both sunny and cerebral, there’s an intangible generosity in the way Gunselman expounds on society and culture while the band weave jazz-influenced chords into Mediterranean hues. On Designed to Break, Breathers have jettisoned everything that doesn’t shimmer and fused what remains into a rejuvenating cosmic polyphony. Never has a synth record felt so intrinsically human. Designed to Break is out 9/12 on LP/Digital via Irrelevant Music.

Thick Paint has been the off and on solo project of Atlanta born songwriter Graham Ulicny (Reptar, The Faint, Media Jeweler, L00K) since 2011. After years of touring as the freaky voice of Athens, GA band Reptar, Ulicny left his home state and drove to the middle. It was there in Omaha, NE that the Thick Paint band ultimately coalesced in 2017. Ulicny formed what has become the core of the band with bassist Sarah Bohling (Icky Blossoms, David Nance Group, No Head) and guitarist Ameen Wahba (Little Ripple/Sgt. Leisure) who were roommates at the time. The current line up also includes Ryan Menchaca (And How) on drums. The band has supported and toured with Rubblebucket, Delicate Steve, Palm, Deerhoof, Big Thief, Young Jesus, Media Jeweler and others.