Living in the UK I can choose to put myself in a little musical bubble if I want. I can shun mainstream radio, media and TV and can avoid bands and musical styles that I don’t like. Sure, I can walk into a high street store and catch something blaring out the speakers, but on the whole I can avoid whatever I want, should I wish. I’ve recently returned from a holiday in the States and it’s much more difficult to avoid what’s going on. You don’t know the radio stations, there aren’t too many TV channels on the hotel cable system and so you’re much more open to the trends. That means bands like Breathe Electric, who are basically like a poor man’s version of Ke$ha – it’s pop with electric bits masquerading as something that’s supposed to attract the “punk” (used extremely loosely) kids. The bigger labels do this by whacking their acts on Warped or Bamboozle to try and corner the market.
It’s amazing how big the likes of NeverShoutNever are in the US so it’s only a matter of time before acts such as Breathe Electric catch on here too. For those yet to hear the band, Grant Harris formed Breathe Electric in 2008. Within a little over a year from forming, the band would sell over 50,000 single downloads on itunes and thousands more
physical copies sold independently through touring, online retailers, and Hot Topic locations across the country. According to the band’s bio “their unique brand of infectious pop has even caught the attention of music supervisors at MTV who have licensed songs for some of their most watched
shows including The Real World and The City“.
And I can’t say I’m surprised because this is catchy shit. There’s retro synth all over the title track and I can see it catching on big style. The rest is pretty standard fare – it’s inevitable this is going to end up all over radio here and so just submit, accept it’s coming and don’t get too pissed off. It’s something I can get back in my bubble and ignore. I don’t like this kind of music, it’s not something I choose to listen to, so I’ll ignore it. I’ll read about it in AltPress, I’m sure, but it’s harmless and inoffensive enough to just let it pass by.
Oh, I forgot, you’re all asking why I’m reviewing this, right? Well I’m in a good mood and felt like reviewing something a little different, even if it’s not ‘punktastic’. So sue me…