Single Review: Breathe

It is not often a single stops me in my tracks. But that is what Emily Riordan has done with the acoustic reworking of Breathe from her EP Waves, which was released earlier in 2019. Based in New Plymouth and often seen touring with fellow musician Callum Wagstaff (Bittercup), Emily has a dreamy melancholic sound not fair removed from Lana Del Rey .

There are only six lines to this song and the music video was shot on a cell phone. But this is living proof you don’t need a big budget to create a spine tingling master piece. You also don’t need verses and verses of words to make a track work. This shows how a few emotional words inspired by the “the highs and lows of human connection” sung the right way can last five minutes and seventeen seconds creating a stunning single.

Wistful airy vocals are delivered in a floaty low-fi manner yet still manage to pierce straight through your heart.

The music video was shot on Emily’s cell phone with her friend Daria Hardgrave as the “actress” in the video. It was beautiful in its simplicity and suited the tone of the song perfectly. Once again showing less is sometimes more. A girl standing on a beach as wave’s crash around her ankles. Some cool slow motion effects and suitable treatment. The impact is mesmerising.

Her roots in classical piano influence the soft pop dreamlike delivery of vocals which have been called “delicate”. I also heard a raw honesty. The understated instrumentals packed a big punch by their subtlety.

Wonderfully uncomplicated yet laden with genuine emotion, Breathe is a beautiful acoustic rendition of her original version.