Review: Breathe Carolina – Savages

April 16, 2014 BearlySinister Off Pop, Reviews, Rock,

Artist: Breathe Carolina
Album: Savages
Rating: 10/10

The electronic phenoms that everyone seem to love to hate are back with another offering. I speak, of course, about Breathe Carolina and their new album, Savages, out on Fearless Records now. Their last album, Hell Is What You Make It, was met with generally positive reactions from critics, spawning the singles, “Blackout” and “Last Night (Vegas)” which get the crowd moving and could easily be played in a club/party setting. However, during the writing of Savages, the departure of founding member/screamer Kyle Even, due to fatherhood, left the band with a pretty tough choice: Find someone else to scream for the band or revert to an entirely electronic-oriented band. They chose the latter and welcomed new guitarist Luis Bonet to the team.

At first, I was a bit skeptical as the band’s Bangers mixtape was nothing short of an atrocity and left many fans wondering what happened to the band. However, upon hearing the title track “Savages”… it seemed like a sick joke as we were re-introduced to the upbeat, fun-filled Breathe Carolina we’ve come to love. It was later revealed in the track list that there would be 3 guest spots: Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria), Karmin and Tyler Carter (Issues). Each of these guests adds their own flavor to their respective tracks, making them really pop and make for an overall fun listen. My favorite track, “Sellouts” which features Worsnop, is the only song on the album to feature screams and lyrically, is pretty intriguing. It’s about standing up for what you believe in, doing what you want to do in life and throwing a big middle finger to those who call you “sellouts” for doing what you love. The video (below) depicts the band, along with Worsnop, walking down an empty street with vocalist David Schmitt and Worsnop performing their respective parts, cutting in and out through different parts of the scenery. The far less upbeat, but lyrically powerful track “Shots Fired” is also one that really caught my ear. It’s about the power that words hold, how far things can go and how it all ends in a relationship. Despite how you try, you can never take back words, they will always stick in a person’s head so be careful about the things you say. It may end up leaving you lonely, if you’re not careful.

The last track I want to talk about is “Chasing Hearts” which features Tyler Carter. Beginning with a beautiful, piano-driven intro and building into an almost R&B like vibe, this is one of the more impressive tracks on the album, despite the criticism I’ve seen it receive. It was really interesting to hear Schmitt and Carter collaborate vocally because they have a fairly different vocal style and they seem to compliment one another perfectly on this track. These guys are two of the best vocalists, in my opinion, in their genre and for them to have collaborated was sure to bring nothing but spectacular results.

Of course, if you’re into the old fun-filled, club-oriented BC, you’ve got tracks like “Savages” and “I Don’t Know What I’m Doing” which are great in themselves, but we’re looking beyond the typical for this review. The progress this band has shown since their debut album is pretty incredible, the beats get fresher, the lyrics get better and the ability to dance is stronger than ever, so stop sitting around! Go pick up your copy of Savages out on Fearless Records now and start dancing!

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“Sellouts (ft. Danny Worsnop)” Official Music Video