Beautifully produced with some pretty melodies and superb harmonies.
Multidisciplinary artist and songwriter Evan ApRoberts has been active in the Los Angeles music scene since the mid-90s. He was also well known for his work as a hired gun for a string of names throughout the 2000s. He released his first solo record, ‘Under the Ghost‘ in 2010, which was a hit in LA’s underground country/folk scene, before adopting the name “Breezers” as his musical identity and songwriting vehicle in 2016.
With his songs influenced by the vastness and romanticism of life in the West, apRoberts is joined by long-time collaborators Michael Nau, Melissa Castellano and Graeme Gibson in the making of ‘Hideaway‘.
Very much a collection of slow jams with abstract lyrics and desolate views, ‘Hideaway‘ opens with ‘The Last Rung‘ which has a short, but buoyant and pretty intro. The poignant and very Lennonesque ‘No Problem‘ follows. A one-sided conversation with a late friend telling of their complicated relationship and, ultimately, the friend’s sudden death. It is suitably slow and reflective, with the refrain releasing the tensions with “Your heart will always be mysterious and free“.
‘Cemetery‘ recalls a freight train-hopping night ApRoberts spent with a friend many years back. It has an interesting vibe and sensationally complementary backing vocals from Castellano, ApRoberts’s wife and long-time collaborator.
‘Noon Breeze‘ is a lovely, uncomplicated tune with insightful, hopeful lyrics, which is followed by ‘So Much‘. Another Lennonesque-sounding vocal, ‘So Much‘ has terrific orchestral sounds and lovely backing vocals, although the repetitive outro is somewhat mind-numbing. By contrast, ‘Orions Belt‘, the lead single from the album, has a bright and breezy intro. The top line continues throughout the song, leading lots of psychedelic instrumentation and keeping it light, even though it is about a broken-hearted stargazer.
The lyrics to the following two songs on the album, ‘Caldera Nights‘ and ‘Dirt Road Dirtbag‘, were co-written by apRoberts and Castellano and tell, in a relatively straightforward, no-frills way, of their travelling experiences together. ‘Caldera Nights‘ has a relatively jangly upbeat, whilst ‘Dirt Road Dirtbag‘ is in the slow jam category.
‘Mountain Lion‘ continues the profound and abstract style apRoberts favours with his slow, cowboy twang and mysterious vibe. ‘The Roses‘ then continues similarly, with its gloomy warning to “never pick the roses from the garden of the beast“. Whilst musically well performed, it doesn’t get out of the starting blocks in terms of piquing interest, and unfortunately, the interminable, repetitive outro is miserable and depressing. Fortunately, it is followed by ‘Moonlight‘, which has a brighter, dreamy, contemplative feel, although it does progress towards a Lennonesque, dreary ending. ‘Caverns Reveal‘ however closes the album with an altogether different vibe. There is still a Lennonesque undertone, but it is also pleasantly hallucinatory, optimistic, and musical.
Beautifully produced with some pretty melodies and superb harmonies, by and large, the songs throughout the album are moody and melancholy, but in many cases, it takes great concentration to bring meaning to them.
