The delicate harmonies, heart-breakingly honest lyricism and rich musical tapestries woven by the group’s core duo of Gina Walters & Lucy Revis (recently joined by Sheffield musician Emily Stancer and local music producer Molly Clark, also the brains behind “Gannnet”) have deservingly led to them being praised as “easily one of the best bands” to ever come out of the city.
They have recently graduated from playing local venues to being invited to perform at major UK festivals and support slots at huge arenas, and it’s staggeringly easy to see why.
From the outset of “Your Picture” the ghostly vocals of Walters sit hauntingly amidst an ethereal fabric of poignant piano motifs and strands of Revis’ velveteen cello, with the strings of both instruments pulling firmly on the strings of the heart of any listener who has one.
“I’ve looked at your picture, too many times, to forget what you look like”
The touchingly impassioned opening line is a sentiment that many can relate to, longing to leave behind the memories of a relationship that no longer feels relevant, but being unable to sever the ties between the heart and the head.
The opener slides out of the door and drifts the listener into the lead single from the EP, “Chosen” which crafts a sculpture of angst, emotion and vulnerability about the idea of yearning to be someone’s someone.
“I’m needy babe cos baby I’ve got needs – I just want to be chosen”
There is nothing I could say about this lyric that would add anything of merit to the level of crushingly candid openness already on display.
The jaunty pizzicato cello, floating vocal arpeggios and enticingly entangled harmonies present on “Cats and Snakes” lend a playful air to the middle of the release, whilst staying true to the frankness of the Before Breakfast brand.
The EP closes with the title track “Absorbed” which conjures images akin to the album artwork, telling a story of craving being submerged beneath the surface, wanting to disappear and be unseen.
“Cold and quiet and ready to leave.”
We’ve all been there. On the whole, there is a level of depth, warmth, and confession in “Absorbed” that the music scene in Sheffield and beyond is fiercely lacking.
Does this have something to do with the industry being so masculocentric?
I’m saying nothing. “I really get caught up in the idea that the industry doesn’t want women in their thirties coming through.” says Walters on the band’s official website. It may not want it, but it certainly needs it.
As a male working in the music business, one feels tangibly tentative when being tasked with reviewing “Absorbed”, the latest EP from Before Breakfast. The group has made pioneering waves within the Sheffield music scene, championing feminist ideals and creating emphatic, tender music that is very much free from the male gaze.