The golden tonsils of Sydney musican Dominic Breen return with another shimmering classic track ‘Hey, Only If You Want To’ as he announces the release of his debut album ‘Blue Volume’ for 1 October 2021, through Double Drummer label.
We last heard from Breen with the release of his brilliantly lush single ‘James Street Tonight’ (reviewed by me here), and his new single picks up the reigns with style and grace. ‘Hey, Only If You Want To’ is another sparkling jewel in the firmament: shimmering, jangling guitars create a warm veil over a muscular rhythmic drive while Breen’s voice is a spectacular shining sun at the centre that emanates an emotional and yearning hue.
Indeed, Breen captures a beautiful melancholic glow in his writing: with euphoric bursts and a thoroughly engaging melodic flow. The sunshine glow, however, comes from a darker source:
I hadn’t eaten or slept properly for months. I had so much energy then. I’d go for a walk at night and just keep going. Didn’t really know where. When it’s all whirring and electric and urgent like that you just wanna be settled, like you’re a spooked horse. There’s no sense to it. It can’t be explained. You just want to be held, to be taken in by anybody, but you don’t wanna put anybody out. I had my own place to go to, but it was more of a hostel than a home at that time. So I wrote a lot of songs down in my phone notes, and this was one of those songs.
This creates a beautiful dichotomy between the message and the delivery:
Crystalline perfection. Breen worked Tim Fitz (Middle Kids) on production and mixing, and Matthew Neighbour (Matt Corby, The Avalanches) on mastering.
Every instrument was performed by Breen or Fitz. Breen says:
Tim has a real knack for getting sounds, he’s very discerning. He’s really good with liposuction – cutting the fat out of things that might not need to be there. He’s also a lovely guy – really wise – and it’s nice to just listen to him talk sometimes.
On the evidence of Breen’s two singles, the album ‘Blue Volume’ is going to be something quite special indeed. You can pre-order the vinyl here.
Feature Photograph: Alexander McDonald
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