After VC Pines grabbed our attention last month with “BREAK,” we were eager to see what else the rising British artist had in store for us. Today, he follows that release up with its darker, moodier sibling, “need 2 breathe.”
As always, the alt-soul artist tells a deeply vulnerable story about his mental health journey over a backdrop of jazz-inspired percussion and electronic textures. The laidback keys and whisper-soft vocals fake us out with a sense of calm before Pines hits us with a surprising and powerful blast of distortion and bass inflections. The contrast between these two sonic forces really underline the theme of the song, which is about the emotional dissonance of paranoia in a relationship.
Here’s what the talented musician had to say about the tune:
“need 2 breathe was written last year whilst going through a tumultuous time mentally, strong relationships I had had kind of fallen apart. It’s about second-guessing, paranoia, but an overall willingness to forget and pretend that everything’s normal, even if this is unhealthy. The modern world is confusing, as are its relationships.”
You can give “need 2 breathe” a listen below. Enjoy!