Premiere: Breaths Confront Global Demise In New Doomgaze Record, Floruit
It’s only July 20th and it’s already the hottest month in roughly 125,000 years, a fact that should make us all sweat even more than we already are. Humanity is facing a critical wake-up call to address the urgent climate crisis, one that will continue to lead to extreme weather events and other unforeseen consequences that will make our future here on Earth increasingly uncertain. It’s a bleak reality everyone must confront in their own way, and that’s exactly what doomgaze artist Breaths has done on their newest record, Floruit. A concept album addressing the destructive nature of technical innovation and corporate exploitation, Floruit serves as a hauntingly relevant musical reflection of the world’s environmental struggles as well as a riveting call-to-action on where to go from here. Out everywhere on Friday, July 21st, it’s a hard-hitting yet august record that pulls from several metal and alternative sub-genres in order to rise to the occasion. Today, The Auricular is thrilled to be able to premiere this staggering record, with an exclusive stream as well as insight into the resonance of its austere sound.
In both tone and sound, Floruit is a heavy record that injects emotional resonance and sharp clarity into foreboding soundscapes and piercing riffs. While branded as a “doomgaze soundtrack to the end of the world,” the thirteen tracks on this record feel more comfortable with post-rock or post-metal descriptions, tags that better account for all the stylistic blending and genre hopping that sees Breaths utilize everything from shoegaze and nu metal to post-hardcore and atmospheric black metal. Vocals soar and croon as much as they bellow and shriek, while guitars construct vivid textures alongside pummeling riffs. All of it blends together to create something truly astonishing, which is needed to match the perilous predicament the album addresses.
At times, the metal instincts take control of a song, like on “The Walking Dead” where the resentment and rage over the current quandary boil over into a seething barrage of blistering riffs and thunderous drumming. Other times, the textural grace guides the journey, like “The Road,” which contains plenty of heavy moments yet feels overall like a wispy thought trying to gain somatic footing through the ethereal guitar melodies and haunting vocals. For the most part though, Breaths mixes the celestial with the barbarous in each song, allowing the two to co-exist in order to help feed the drive and resolve while guiding the intention and care.
The third proper album released by Breaths, Floruit showcases extraordinary skill and vision, which comes as no surprise given the resume of its sonic architect, Jason Roberts. Breaths is just one of many projects from Roberts, who also releases music under the shoegaze alias somei and the heavy ambient moniker Isolera, which takes its name from a 2022 instrumental Breaths release. On top of all of that, Roberts also performs in the alternative/hardcore group Roseneath alongside Brian George, which just put out a celebrated record through Thirty Something Records last month entitled Nowhere Safe. All of this points to a seasoned ear for heavier and gritter sounds, something that Roberts takes full advantage of in Floruit, which finds a way to connect all of these stylistic expeditions into a direct path for exploration.
This expansive skill allows Floruit to excel on a technical level, but it also helps the conceptual nature of the music flourish, just as the album title beckons. One of the core strengths of this music lies in its ability to provoke reflection on the impact our choices and inaction have on our shared environment. It compels us to face the consequences of humanity’s so-called superiority over the world, making it a relevant and poignant work of art that doesn’t just stop with past censure. It also looks to the future where a point of no return will clash with the possibility of redemption, something that Breaths captures with urgency and introspection throughout the record.
In all, it’s the message of Floruit that makes the music so powerful and engaging, allowing the record to make a lasting impression that urgers listeners to consider the course of humanity and the planet, and the choice we must make to ensure our survival. If we approach that consideration with even half the intent, care, and acumen of Breaths, we might just preserve long enough to appreciate the full scope of talent on display on this record, instead of the imperative message that skill is communicating.
Floruit will be released on Friday, July 21st to all streaming platforms, which you can pre-save today by clicking here. You can also order CDs and cassettes of the album via Breaths’ Bandcamp page, which you can visit by clicking here.
