“There’s some things worth living for. And one of them is playing music your friends.”
So say The Breathing Method on the opening track on “After Everything Else” and it’s kind of the Scots to write the review for us.
Because when all is said and done – and there’s a lot to say about TBD – that sense of Brotherhood is all the way through this.
Musically it’s a throwback to the mid-90s. You can hear Nirvana on the bass on “All Of My Dreams” but only once you’ve heard Helmet.
Essentially the tales of five mates as they struggle on, the energy on “Secrets” is impressive, and anything that makes me think of The Almighty as “Demons” did is on a winner.
This is their debut and it’ll be interesting to see where they go, because the scuzzy riffs – as on “Unbearable” – are damn impressive, and there’s a rawness about ‘Burden” that makes you think they might have plenty to say.
That’s even more true of the five-minute open wound, “Tragic Confusion”. “I can’t stand you, I can’t live without you” sings Scott Booth and this – like so many others here- is from the heart, surely?
Their “happy place” if you will is big, heavy and visceral. “Inside Darkness” is all of that, and even though “Disappointed” adds more colour, the sentiment is the same.
James Dougan is excellent on lead guitar, and Jamie Haining’s rhythm gives it that edge that two guitar bands need, which means that “Jupiter” is elevated from the norm. Plus there are bonus points for sounding like Therapy? And a first line of: “I guess I’ll never get to heaven, what would I really do there anyway?” That even Andy Cairns would be proud of.
And “After Everything Else” is finished (see what we did there?) There’s a 90s-style hidden track. To be fair, aside from the one at the end of Counting Crows’ “This Desert Life” album these were usually useless and this doesn’t disappoint.
The rest of the record is a) ace and b) hints that The Breathing Method are only just scratching the surface.
Rating 8/10
REVIEW: THE BREATHING METHOD – AFTER EVERYTHING ELSE (2025)
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