MusicTalks
11/21/08, 08:16 PM
The Breakup - Don't Keep Us a Secret
Record Label: None
Release Date: April 8, 2008
There is a little bit of a catch-22 with EPs. If you happen to come across an EP that is just so terrible that it makes your ears bleed and your brain melt into a gooey, oozy substance similar to what created the Ninja Turtles, then it's a good thing that it's only four or five songs. On the flip side, if you come across an EP that consists of quality tunes, then it makes it a little bittersweet to get to the end of the last song. Being stuck in the middle is probably worse than anything though. Something is making you listen again, but you're not sure what that something is, so at points you wonder if you should just stop listening. The Breakup's EP, Don't Keep Us A Secret, is caught in a weird limbo where I'm left with my hands tossed in the air, head tilted, and an inquisitive look on my face. I will say that as I write this review, the EP continues to play and, in my world, that can only be a good thing.
Before a few days ago, I had never heard of the Breakup and I'm sure that most who will read this probably haven't either. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have heard about them. In a genre that yields a million poppy, spunky, fluorescent, bubble-gum bands fronted by a boy with long, mangy hair glued to the front of his face, it's a bit refreshing to find a poppy, spunky, fluorescent, bubble-gum band fronted by a girl with vibrant and shiny hair glued to the front of her face. Let's be honest, the ratio of girls to guys in the lead vocal category is something that would land you a handsome sum of cash if they were Vegas odds and you bet on the girl, and won. And while vocals like those of Hayley Williams (Paramore) are truly unique and unparalleled, it's nice to see that all the other girls haven't given up. Or at least Kristina Oquist (The Breakup's lead vocalist, by the way) hasn't.
Let's be clear, Oquist is no Williams, and I'm sure she knows it, but it takes some gusto to jump into the ring knowing that Williams is out there knocking people out. What makes me like this EP is that The Breakup know that the Paramore comparisons are inevitable (female lead vocal, cute, red hair), but it doesn't stop them from making music. Don't Keep Us A Secret, while short, is a very catchy five song set that, for some reason, has me still listening as I type. The music possesses a vibrant and fun feel that let's you enjoy the tunes, even though the vocals aren't as strong as those by a heavyweight like Hayley Williams. It's an 80's infused dance/pop/electronic EP that is quick, punchy, and has me inquiring and hoping that a full-length would be some of the same. They remind me of the music world's version of MTV's Fanny Pack, from America's Best Dance Crew. And I loved Fanny Pack because they were just different and there is something about this group that is different, in a good way.
It's only five songs, so I'll let you hear each for yourself. I think that it's more than worth your time to hear this collection of songs. If you don't like it, it's only twenty minutes you'll never get back, as opposed to an hour for a full-length. But at the end of an EP where I could say "Oh, thank God it's over" or "Man, I wish there were some more songs to play," - I'm looking for song number six.
the '80s; neon colors; dancin' in your socks; twenty minutes of poppy, funky, punky music
myspace.com/thebreakuprock (http://www.myspace.com/thebreakuprock)
Record Label: None
Release Date: April 8, 2008
There is a little bit of a catch-22 with EPs. If you happen to come across an EP that is just so terrible that it makes your ears bleed and your brain melt into a gooey, oozy substance similar to what created the Ninja Turtles, then it's a good thing that it's only four or five songs. On the flip side, if you come across an EP that consists of quality tunes, then it makes it a little bittersweet to get to the end of the last song. Being stuck in the middle is probably worse than anything though. Something is making you listen again, but you're not sure what that something is, so at points you wonder if you should just stop listening. The Breakup's EP, Don't Keep Us A Secret, is caught in a weird limbo where I'm left with my hands tossed in the air, head tilted, and an inquisitive look on my face. I will say that as I write this review, the EP continues to play and, in my world, that can only be a good thing.
Before a few days ago, I had never heard of the Breakup and I'm sure that most who will read this probably haven't either. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have heard about them. In a genre that yields a million poppy, spunky, fluorescent, bubble-gum bands fronted by a boy with long, mangy hair glued to the front of his face, it's a bit refreshing to find a poppy, spunky, fluorescent, bubble-gum band fronted by a girl with vibrant and shiny hair glued to the front of her face. Let's be honest, the ratio of girls to guys in the lead vocal category is something that would land you a handsome sum of cash if they were Vegas odds and you bet on the girl, and won. And while vocals like those of Hayley Williams (Paramore) are truly unique and unparalleled, it's nice to see that all the other girls haven't given up. Or at least Kristina Oquist (The Breakup's lead vocalist, by the way) hasn't.
Let's be clear, Oquist is no Williams, and I'm sure she knows it, but it takes some gusto to jump into the ring knowing that Williams is out there knocking people out. What makes me like this EP is that The Breakup know that the Paramore comparisons are inevitable (female lead vocal, cute, red hair), but it doesn't stop them from making music. Don't Keep Us A Secret, while short, is a very catchy five song set that, for some reason, has me still listening as I type. The music possesses a vibrant and fun feel that let's you enjoy the tunes, even though the vocals aren't as strong as those by a heavyweight like Hayley Williams. It's an 80's infused dance/pop/electronic EP that is quick, punchy, and has me inquiring and hoping that a full-length would be some of the same. They remind me of the music world's version of MTV's Fanny Pack, from America's Best Dance Crew. And I loved Fanny Pack because they were just different and there is something about this group that is different, in a good way.
It's only five songs, so I'll let you hear each for yourself. I think that it's more than worth your time to hear this collection of songs. If you don't like it, it's only twenty minutes you'll never get back, as opposed to an hour for a full-length. But at the end of an EP where I could say "Oh, thank God it's over" or "Man, I wish there were some more songs to play," - I'm looking for song number six.
the '80s; neon colors; dancin' in your socks; twenty minutes of poppy, funky, punky music
myspace.com/thebreakuprock (http://www.myspace.com/thebreakuprock)