Atfer following the band The Big Moon throughtout the last five years, I also fell in love with Our Girl, the band fronted by The Big Moon’s Soph Nathan. Their debut album “Stranger Today” was released in 2018, and to this day, I’m still struck by their compassionate song writing and majestic guitar work. Shortly after getting into them, I learned that their bassist Josh Tyler also plays lead guitar in a band called Breathe Panel, which absolutely warranted a check out. The first song of theirs I heard was “On My Way,” taken from their 2018 self-titled debut, and its soft-hearted melodies were not only memorable, but also zigged when I thought they would zag, and they do so throughout the album.
Breathe Panel make Sunday afternoon rock, which is often a type of music that allows listeners to predict the rest of the song as it’s unfolding, but this U.K. group peppers their songs with cerebral subtleties—you never know when a riff will tail off or do a few more pirouettes, or more broadly, which song sections will be lengthened or emphasized. Similarly with their second and latest LP “Lets It In”, their songs feel carefully constructed—their vocal inflections peak at all the right moments and their guitar interplay is clever, but never overbearing.
They’re cognizant of sonic space and the range of emotional tones brought to life by their sounds, and despite their attention to detail, their music still has a looseness to it. Nick Green’s good-natured coos are a welcome through line in their songs, and they’re proof that gentle vocals can be quite versatile—he never completely opts for speak-singing, but his natural hums occasionally verge on that territory. Breathe Panel don’t feel the need to body-slam listeners with big choruses, either, but I still find their pretty refrains rattling around my brain, namely the calm opener “A Good Day” and the wistful “Spring.” Even more so than their debut, “Lets It In” is a wonderful solid work of intricacy and intimacy.
From the album ‘Lets It In’
The Fat Angel Sings 