Sung like a somber lullaby, Greta Svabo Bech’s newest single, Breathe, has all the dark themes of certain branches of neo-classical all toppled with an indie feel. The combination of those elements makes for an absolutely beautiful piece of art to be remembered for generations.

Breathe is all about subtleties. With every listen, you’re going to find new elements that were hidden from the previous spin through the tune, which makes this composition all the more cherished. It opens with a classical guitar and the singer’s very airy vocal delivery. The space offered by the heavy reverb set on both the guitar and the vocals, that along with Greta’s voice, give this very space-y feel, and very much feels as if the song itself is breathing in slowly. One might think it’s because of the title, and the song’s opening lyric, but I think the music does an excellent job displaying that without the help of words. As the song builds, there are more and more elements added to the song, slowly building on to one another. Some are very classical in nature, like the strings introduced half-way through the song. The pianos quietly supporting the beautiful chord progression played by the guitar all throughout the song. The harmonies supporting the haunting choruses are so crucial to the tone and emotion of the composition, and feel so necessary once you’ve heard them. There’s something somewhat akin to Lana Del Rey about them, especially in the latter half of the song, which feels extremely appropriate with the sounds complimenting the singer. The song abruptly ends half-way through a verse, and though it was a bit shocking at first, I really didn’t mind it. In fact, as the song looped, I grew to really like it.

There’s a display of a lot of different styles in Breathe, and all of them are executed astonishingly. There’s something very haunting about the melodies, the chord progressions, and the production. It feels very soothing, but in a chilly kind of way. You won’t feel warm with this song, but it’s not off-putting either. On the contrary, it’s an amazing song that will give you goosebumps from start to finish. 

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.