Drawing us in with an astral guitar performance, expanding with textured drums and percussion, ONEWAY opens Breakdown with a high emotional quotient and instrumental mastery. The opus evolves with a luscious strings arrangement, tapping into a boundless, orchestral energy.
The cohesive tapestry of sound that manifests is sublime, and we deeply connect with the charismatic vocals that emerge. The lyrics are laced with poetic prowess, as ONEWAY shares the words, “I wear a face, every day, I’m strong and courageous, a child of light, got the joy of the Lord in my life, it’s not a charade, I’m not playing games…”
We are immediately enthralled by the conscious depth of the song, and the empowerment that manifests. We learn that Breakdown is intentionally designed to reflect the heart behind ONEWAY’s mission. The rising artist from Dayton, USA, also known as Dustin Burkhard, shares how he creates music that “meets people in difficult places and reminds them that vulnerability, faith, and resilience can coexist.” This also comes to life with his artist moniker, cementing the concepts of oneness and unity – a zeitgeist message at a time when humanity needs it the most.
For some background, it is that same calling that has also led Dustin and his wife to become foster parents for teenagers from traumatic and abusive backgrounds. This altruistic nature truly transpires with the prose that we experience in Breakdown.
Fans of Rag’n’Bone Man and Imagine Dragons will absolutely be able to connect with what ONEWAY is sharing. The second half of the song serves as a duet which certainly raises the emotive threshold of the song, bringing to life a stadium-ready energy which we could imagine in a film like the sequel to Purple Hearts.
The guitar finale is simply transcendental and the track ends with a poetic acoustic outro with a meditative frequency that inspires introspection. Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Breakdown to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we anticipate future releases from ONEWAY.