Breaks and Swells
We will Not Despair
Elegant jazz, unrelenting funk and Motown soul make cosmic communion on We Will Not Despair— the debut LP from Breaks and Swells. Produced by Erik Blood (Shabazz Palaces, Tacocat, Pickwick, THEE Satisfaction), the album is a triumph of instrumental ingenuity, featuring funk grooves that recall early 70’s Stevie Wonder, Thundercat and D’Angelo. Vocalist Marquetta Miller’s frenetic passion is equal parts Diana Ross and Skye Edwards, steering the energy to the edge without ever going over.
Seattle’s Breaks and Swells have steadily gained notoriety as one of the premier live acts in the city. The power and energy of their performances have convinced even hardened Northwest crowds to dance. In the wake of their first self-titled EP and several follow-up singles, the band have given feature performances at SXSW, Capitol Hill Block Party, Timber!, Belltown Bloom, So Dreamy, Macefield Festival, Noise for the Needy and Seattle’s venerable Hoodstock.
Formed in 2012, Breaks and Swells features Marquetta Miller on vocals, Derrick Jones on drums, Brice Ervin on bass, guitarist Dylon Tubb, pianist Noah Goldberg, Jason LaMar Chambliss on trumpet, and Jeremy Shaskus on saxophone.
We WIll Not despair
Track List:
1. Intro
2. Chill with You
3. We Will Not Despair
4. Won't Lose Hold
5. Don't Tell Me
6. Stoic Shopkeeper
7. Burnin'
8. Bomb
9. Outro
We Will Not Despair is radio ready and all tracks are FCC Clean except track 8 'Bomb'
"It feels like it has been forever since we’ve had the promise of new music from R&B/funk/jazz stunners Breaks & Swells, but they are finally back with a new single! With new album Entomology on the way, “Murder Hornet” is rousing, soulful, and confrontational all at once; a blistering call-out of those who commit violent acts from behind the safety of a police badge. As the band’s horn section swirls around her, singer Marquetta Miller can barely conceal her anger while rallying together a community perpetually underneath a city-issued boot." —Martin Douglas, KEXP Blog / KEXP.org 90.3 FM Worldwide
"When the times feel hopeless, how do you find a way to be hopeful? It’s a paradoxical, trying question. But if there’s any act that has the perspicacious insight and wit to tackle such a feeling, it’s Seattle’s own Breaks and Swells. The seven-piece group’s blend of soul, funk, and R&B has been scorching Seattle stages since they formed in 2012 and through a slew of singles and EPs. It’s hard to listen to their music and not want to get up and move. But it goes deeper than that, as exemplified in the title track from their upcoming album We Will Not Despair." —KEXP Blog / KEXP.org 90.3FM Worldwide
"Soulful, classy, expressive, percussive — just a few words you can use to describe this funky, fun, nine-piece Seattle band. The Barboza stage was packed — people were letting loose and dancing up a storm to good old jazzy and blues riffs as lead singer Marquetta Miller's sugary coated vocals gave a sweet flavor to the sound."
"I was expecting the imitation soul, Motown Lite. I got razor sharp soul, played with imagination. “King of Hearts,” their opener, lodged in my head. But for nine straight songs, the band pushed the groove deeper and deeper. Marquetta Miller, the vocalist, is a standout. But the band holds its own: always engaged, never simplifying. —American Standard Time
"[Breaks and Swells] songs are filled with hooks and infectious grooves that makes you want more. Without a doubt Marquetta Miller has one of the best voices in the northwest —she is surrounded by a fantastic group of musicians that do nothing but elevate her sweet sound. Listening to their music is like a trip back into time but without feeling dated, it’s a type of new soul (and so much more) that works for today and works well!"
"Fronted by Marquetta Miller, you are taken back in time to a dark room with a lonely spotlight, with dusty circular tables around a smoky stage. I would remark here about a curt bartender with a black vest on, pretending to run an upstanding establishment during Prohibition; However, Seattle, like every other city, drank its way through that too. Grab your cocktail and let’s get back to the stage. We’ll continue to pretend, because it’s simply more fun…"
"This energetic, dancy 9-person band encourages the audience to clap their hands and dance along. A mixture of funk and soul, they incorporate almost every instrument you can imagine from aux percussion to horns." —Matador Network
We Will Not Despair was recorded and produced by Erik Blood at Chemical X/Black Space Labs and mastered by Adam Straney at Breakpoint Mastering.
Entomology coming Fall 2022. Engineered and produced by Robert Cheek at the Unknown.
