I Was Love are an electronic duo based in Manchester. Working with visual artist Charles Leek, they are making distinctive, atmospheric electronic music with an emotive edge.
Previous single Hands Open combined a crisp and stark production sound with deep bass and innocent vocals. Here, I Was Love deliver a duet, a male vocal recalling the work of Factory Records luminaries New Order as it graces Only Breathing’s opening. The other half of that duet comes from those same angelic female vocals as Hands Open, only here they shimmer in the contrast of a second voice.
Only Breathing feels remarkably physical, bass flows like syrup, percussion rattles as it echoes around my head. I Was Love have brought together a lot here — the track feels fat and heavy, full of detail. Synths bite, chords ooze and rhythms snap.
Lyrically, Only Breathing delivers what feel like half-thoughts snatched from your mind as you navigate a deepening relationship. With a focus on the human experience of relationships, the opaque nature of the words here feel like a metaphor for the experience of what we can only ever know from our own perspective. Describing the inspiration for the song, I Was Love said:
“Only Breathing is a song about relationships romantic but also interpersonal. It explores the idea of whether it is possible to ever truly know anyone, and what that means for those trying to navigate that which cannot be known. When you give such a large portion of yourself to someone else: what does the hidden quantity mean for yourself and them?”
This is a riveting, beautiful and thrilling record, and I want more. Check out the video below, or find it on your preferred streaming service here.