The Breath Of Life back with new EP, ‘Slowly Crashing’ – Out now
Isabelle Dekeyser (The Breath Of Life - Photo by Olivier Bourgui)
Out now via the Belgian post-punk label Spleen+ is the brand new EP from The Breath Of Life, “Slowly Crashing”. The new EP holds 4 tracks and is available first on Bandcamp with all other platforms following on February 28th.
This is the first new release since the band released their “Echoes Of Time” anthology last year which retracing nearly four decades of making music. The single is a first teaser for the band’s 11th album which took longer than expected to be recorded due to health problems of lead singer Isabelle Dekeyser.
The brand-new 4-track EP also comes with an official video clip for the title track “Slowly Crashing”. It also holds the previous 2023 single “Down We Go” remixed by KEZDOWN who also has a take on the title track. The 4th track is a post-punk/new wave reinterpretation of “The Part You Can’t See”, originally by the Belgian electro-pop act Psy’aviah.
The Breath Of Life are Isabelle Dekeyser (vocals), Philippe Mauroy (guitar, drum programming), Giovanni Bortolin (violin, keyboards), and Didier Czepczyk (bass).
About The Breath of Life
The Breath of Life, a Belgian darkwave and gothic rock ensemble, emerged in the late 1980s. The band consists of frontwoman Isabelle Dekeyser, Philippe Mauroy on guitar and programming, Giovanni Bortolin handling keyboards and violin, and Didier Czepczyk on bass.
Formed in 1985 in Gembloux, Belgium, Dekeyser, Mauroy, and bassist Benoît Sokay initially started as a trio. The addition of Bortolin in 1990, formerly of Jo Lemaire + Flouze, enriched their sound with keyboards and violin. For drums, they opted for a drum machine. A self-produced 10-track cassette was released that same year. The excellent live album “Live in Praha ’92” captured the true strength of their live performances.
Their debut studio album, “Painful Insanity” (1992), produced by Gilles Martin (Bel Canto), was followed by “Taste of Sorrow” (1993), which featured the track “Nasty Cloud,” a gothic club hit.
The 1995 album “Lost Children” explored a more delicate, ethereal atmosphere, while “Sweet Party” (1997) introduced pop and electronic elements into their material. With the 2000 album “Silver Drops”, they incorporated melancholic pop influences and trip-hop elements. During this time, Czepczyk replaced Mauroy on guitar, and the band transitioned from drum machines to live drumming with Marc Haerden joining in 2000.
“Everlasting Souls” (2005) and “Whispering Fields” (2012) marked a return to their gothic roots. In 2015, Mauroy rejoined, and the band released “Under the Falling Stars” (2017), with Gilles Martin returning as producer.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, The Breath of Life recorded their 10th album, “Sparks Around Us”, with members collaborating remotely. During lockdown, they also released covers of “Winning” by The Sound, “Ashes to Ashes” by David Bowie, and “Inner Station” by Minimal Compact exclusively on Bandcamp.
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