Breaks Co-op

Breaks Co-Op was formed by Zane Lowe (previously Urban Disturbance) and Hamish Clark in 1997. Hamish and Zane released the electronic album Roofers in 1997 before they both left New Zealand to travel and pursue other interests.

When Zane Lowe and Hamish Clark discovered the voice of Andy Lovegrove, they knew it was the signature instrument they needed to complete the recording project they’d begun in New Zealand and transported to the UK on their OE adventure.

The result of their musical meeting was The Otherside, lead single from Breaks Co-Op’s second album The Sound Inside.

The Otherside sound tracked the Summer of 2005. It became the most-played song of that year on NZ airwaves, a Top 5 UK radio hit and winner of the Song of the Year Tui award.

And as Breaks Co-Op prepared to return with their third album, it’s Andy Lovegrove’s remarkable voice, still ringing clear through wonderfully lived-in lyrics, that stands out on this new single, the title track to forthcoming album Sounds Familiar.

Sounds Familiar is a bright and breezy kiss-off, a classic comeback that is sure to welcome Breaks Co-Op straight back to the airwaves.

After the lengthy campaign that followed the international release of The Sound Inside through to 2007, Hamish Clark moved to Berlin and Andy Lovegrove settled with his young family in the North of England.

So the single and album were written in sessions grabbed when scattered band members could meet to work on songs that were then passed around for production and critique.

Sticking to the Breaks Co-Op blueprint that blends mostly electronic beats with acoustic instruments and strings beneath Andy’s brilliant vocal stylings, the classic melodic sensibility they share comes to the fore on a set of shamelessly big tunes.

It is a formula that has already served them well and if relying on these proven elements – a feel for real music with human qualities – then sounding familiar is no bad choice for these experienced musicmakers returning in top form.

Breaks Co-Op’s Sound Familiar album was released in February 2014 when the group made a live return to New Zealand on the Winery Tour.