A perfect project for fans of Yellow Days and King Krule, London polymath Shrink hits the ground running with his self-titled debut EP.
Despite only being 22 years old, London-based producer, singer, and songwriter Sam Breathwick is already onto his second alias – Shrink.
Perhaps best known for his production work with Connie Constance and NAYANA IZ under the guise of Vasser, Breathwick’s debut outing as Shrink is guitar-rich, thoughtful, and underpinned by themes of family.
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Breathwick’s EP starts off strong with his current single ‘Cut You Loose’.
The unmistakable sound of a ticking clock is backed by hypnotic, chorused guitars, with the end result being rather good indeed. It’s a solid opening and a good indicator of the EP’s general direction: if you love this song, you’ll love ‘em all.
Oh, and ‘Cut You Loose’ also arrives armed with an excellent video that puts Shrink under the spotlight – literally. All the best indie music comes with a video recorded on an iPhone, right?
Written from the perspective of the all-consuming demise of a relationship, ‘Drowning’ is probably the most sentimental track on the EP.
You heard it here first – the jazzy descending guitar lick at the 2-minute mark is lowkey SHRINK’s finest moment.
And, if ‘Drowning’ is the finest moment, then it’s the third track – ‘Melody Man’ – that’s SHRINK’s ‘Blackstar’ moment.
As an ensemble of dissonant synths surges and guitars are added to darken the mood, Breathwick carefully utters the poignant line “I just want you to be right here” as the song builds – and builds – and then builds some more to a funky gentle pay off. Let’s be honest, we’d all like someone (anyone) here, right now.
The following track – and Shrink’s second single – ‘Eraser’, is about Breathwick’s mother’s unconditional care for his brother during his lows.
(We do love a boy who appreciates his Mum at One on One.)
‘Eraser’ starts out acoustically and suitably miserably. After layering and arching in the middle, the song eventually plods to a complete stop. It’s impossible not to be moved when Shrink says “Can’t run, nowhere to hide”; indeed, the pursuit for escapism and running from our own thoughts is prevalent throughout this body of work.
And, just like that, we’ve reached the end of the road.
Closing track ‘Rodeo’ is easy on the ear and the perfect closer to an excellent debut EP. More chorus-laden guitars and charming melodies are the order of the day, and the combination serves to leave the listener on a reflective and romantic note.
All becomes clear when Breathwick reflects that through “countless times, [he’s] tried to get some peace of mind / one thought at a time”. And that, in a nutshell, is how we’d describe the EP: the search for peace of mind, one thought at a time, and all lived vicariously through his brother’s experiences.