Drawing us in with an intimate, acoustic guitar soundscape with a piano riff and sublime fiddle performance, The Forever Takeback opens Breath Again (Semi-Stripped) with the observational prose, “Every time you look, every time you see me I feel like I’m alone, like you don’t even wanna know, everything we say, everything we do, takes me far away from you…”
We immediately connect with the high emotional quotient of the song and the authenticity of the lyrics. Speaking on the message of Breath Again (Semi-Stripped), The Forever Takeback confesses, “This song is about being in a claustrophobic relationship, where everything you do isn’t enough and perfection is demanded.”
The rising artist continues with philosophical self-awareness, “At some point the heart cries out to be free from the burden it is carrying, wanting to simply feel like it can breathe again. Don’t let anyone strip you of who you are, you are beautifully and wonderfully made.”
The build of the track is sublime, and reminds us of iconic 2000s bands like Lifehouse, although The Forever Takeback cites Dashboard Confessional, Manchester Orchestra, Matt Maeson and Bon Iver as his main sonic inspirations, which we can also feel manifest with Breath Again.
The track holds a cinematic allure, perfect for a sync placement in a TV series like My Life with the Walter Boys or Euphoria on HBO. The Forever Takeback‘s choral layers and astral falsetto is awe-inspiring and we really appreciate the passion that he channels with his performance.
On his artistry, the self-produced and intentional artist from Shreveport adds, “This release is part of a long artistic journey, therapeutic music that I wrote to help me process and deal with life. Every song I write is telling a specific part of my journey, whether good or bad.”
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Breath Again (Semi-Stripped) to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of The Forever Takeback, including the original version of Breath Again, Overcome, and Follow.