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Music Review for “Break You” by Soulful Fox ft. John Brindle
Music review written by Tobi Davis
Bit crushed nasty beats, neon strip strobe synths and throated menace stalker vocals, herald a distinctly darker turn for hitherto uplifting EDM electro-sunshine producer, Soulful Fox with new single “Break You”. Described in the press release as, ‘Nine Inch Nails inspired’, the track draws immediate and inevitable comparisons with Trent Reznor’s dy-synth-topian, seminal / classic/quintessential (pick any word) Industrial track, “Closer” (taken from the 1994 released The Downward Spiral); the forever-cast-into-cinematic-awesome, title music for David Fincher’s dy-cine-topian, seminal/classic/quintessential (pick any word) neo noir thriller, “Seven”, a bold choice of inspiration for any Producer. “Break You” holds up throughout as a smart piece of production, aided and abetted by an accomplished vocal performance by featured artist, John Brindle. The Liverpool (UK) based Singer/Guitarist/Producer bringing a measured maturity and well judge level of aggression; creating a tightening sense of malice and latent hostility to both lead, and backing vocal alike, that builds nicely/nastily throughout. Bitey synth waves, phat moogish leads and blunted hollow, delay FXs, tightly arranged make an engaging ride on the intended side of disturbia.
Unsurprisingly “Break You” falls short of its ambitious inspiration and will, no doubt, be labeled by many Nine Inch Nails fans as little more than a simplistic imitation. Few producers would even dare to dream of emulating “Closer”; deftly nuanced, crippled yet funky sequencers, gut wrenching risers, sweat splattered beats and xxx-pansive fuse-burnt pads, form a tour-de-force in dynamics, stereo design and frequency craft (the soundscape, a mixer’s worse nightmare of ear splitting frequencies); the instrumentation branded right / wrong down the centre, by Reznor’s lyrics and performance; intelligent, self aware and honest.
Whether you find it courageous or foolish, one cannot deny the audacity of “Break You”. Our charts and playlists are overflowing with lazed, willfully average musical nothings; that smack of lack of effort, and play to a tired gallery of increasingly disinterested punters. We need artists, bands and producers who are willing to take a risk, willing to fail. In a world where so many music makers are practicing safe bets, Soulful Fox just tried to ‘f**k you like an animal’.
“Break You” is Available Now on Spotify!
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