Genre : Blackgaze, Post-rock
Released : January 21st, 2022
Label : Self-released / Trepanation Recordings
FFO : Deafheaven, MØL, Pelican
It is no secret that music can very often prove to be a fantastic therapeutic tool and outlet to process strong emotions and traumatic experiences by turning them into something perceptible that can be consumed and internalized by an audience susceptible of empathizing with the subject matter in an infinity of ways.
This is exactly what multi-instrumentalist Jason Roberts has set out to do here on his follow-up full length album after last year's "Lined In Silver", where each track deals with a different traumatic, personal event that has undoubtedly shaped the person he is today.
As such, "Though life..." feels more like navigating through a personal diary than casually breezing through an album half-mindedly.
In other words, this isn't "light" and easy listening.
Musically speaking, "Though life..." feels much more focused and concise than its predecessor in terms of what it tries to achieve stylistically. Mainly focusing on sludgy blackgaze counter-balanced by delicate post-rock instead of drawing in from a wider pool of styles and influences and trying to find ways to make all of them fit in one big package.
"Though life..." is far more sure of itself and what it wants to be; coming off as a release that benefits from an added maturity by an artist who already seems to have found a very solid footing in his solo musical endeavor as well as what works for him and what doesn't.
If you like sludgy riffs, gloomy atmospheres and the beautiful melancholia of post-rock as well as music that relies heavily on conceptuality and narration, you should most definitely add Breaths to your list of bands to discover!