BREEZE - Only Up LP (colour vinyl)

Limited edition opaque yellow vinyl.

Highly recommended. We even hear similarities to Melbourne's EXEK in the track provided...

For Only Up, the second album from Josh Korody’s indie rock project Breeze, the Toronto musician enlisted an entire scene. With his usual collaborators unavailable, Korody took the opportunity to upgrade the intimate jangle of his 2017 debut, record, into a heavier sound built for stadiums. Working with more than a dozen collaborators including members of Broken Social Scene, TOPS, and Orville Peck’s band, Korody condenses several eras of British rock into a fun, referential mix that celebrates the idealized hedonism of his favorite records alongside his community.

The highlights of Only Up tap into the UK’s Second Summer of Love, an era when bands were embracing the psychedelic possibility of the studio and the sounds of house, techno, and hip-hop imported from the United States.

On “Come Around,” Korody channels the slightly flat bellow of the Stone Roses’ Ian Brown to sing about a looming presence—be it divine, romantic, or chemical—over a towering two-chord vamp and a distorted drum loop. In a guest verse, rapper Cadence Weapon references psychedelic icons like Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett and rhymes about getting so high he can text God to drop a pin. “Don’t Cry” is even more anthemic, with strings warbling over commanding snares that land a half-beat early, a combination that conjures the Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” The arena rock sound is a contrast to the lyrics about a personal grievance. Castigating a former friend who refuses to confront their misdeeds, Korody sings with a palpable sense of disappointment: It is his finest moment as a frontman.

The closing track, “Only Up,” climaxes with a mellotron playing beneath beneath Korody and guest vocalist Tess Parks’ harmonies: It sounds a bit like the horn section from Primal Scream’s “Loaded” on the comedown after a long night.