Theo Bard's atmospheric outing "Breath" highlights the healing power of music

"Breath" is Bard's first new outing since last year's Inkus EP, and sees the multi-talented artist utilise a more electro-pop palette whilst also embracing elements of grime, ska and dubstep.

The new single commences with an industrial, unpredictable instrumental that ripples with electrifying percussion and static, a tense backdrop that complements Bard's distorted opening vocal melody.

Although "Breath" begins as a cold, glitchy track, the introduction of snapping hi-hats and the twangy guitar melody force light out of the dark elements, providing a complex and layered bed of instrumentation for Bard's vocals to bounce over.

The track builds a significant amount over its three-and-a-half-minute duration, allowing small pockets of different emotions to sit between the verses while still maintaining its solid foundation, further emphasising the way music can be used as a powerful healing tool. There's moments of atmospheric reflection similar to James Blake, waves of self-confidence and light that ring through with the brass horns from Dat Brass, and a sense of euphoria that is projected once the individual melodies unite.

The musician says of his new single, ""Breath" was inspired by a series of jams with Jake Chapman, the synth player for my new live show. The beat and groove for the track came from my Volca Beats - a small, battery-powered drum sequencer which is surprisingly powerful for its size. The deep groove with huge kick sound and complex tom pattern was at once a nod to dubstep, grime and James Blake’s brooding compositions, while Jake came up with this synth sound and Dat Brass use their huge horn sound to play out the instrumental lines."