Manhattan duo QTY slow things down on new single "World Breaker"

05 December 2016, 14:00 | Written by Jake Hawkes

(Tracks)

(QTY)

“World Breaker”, the second single from New York duo QTY, is an ode to the seedier side of life in Lower Manhattan, filtered through the city’s vast musical history.

“It’s the more desperate side of my particular city life drawn from mine and our experiences,” explains Dan Lardner, one half of the duo, in a typewritten letter. “Two sides of two coins of equal value, one’s just slightly more corroded than the other. Being the amateur coin collector that I am I still find them both pretty. I’m also completely willing to pawn them the next time things get rough.”

“World Breaker” feels like a combination of black coffee and cigarettes, or watching the sun rise from your apartment window after a particularly heavy night out. The magic of the song comes from the shared vocal duties of Lardner and bandmate Alex Niemetz, with Lardner’s deep drawl first giving way to Niemetz’s melancholy crooning, before the two voices entwine towards the end of the track, repeating the lyrics “Carry that burden of a world breaker”.

QTY’s first single, featuring “Rodeo” and “World Breaker”, is out 16 December on Dirty Hit Records.