BEST NEW INDIE: CLN - BREATHE

Callan Alexander, the voice behind CLN, goes gentle into the good night on “Breathe”!

It seems like every day, there is some new hell, some fresh menace, seeking to rip our peace of mind, and whatever sanity we have left after 10 years of memes and Netflix binges, to shreds. It’s exhausting, disorienting - even the News Cycles have News Cycles, at this point, as we fall down a funhouse mirror tunnel of Reaction Gifs, thinkpieces, and thoughtful meta-meta-meta commentary.

CLN - BREATHE

It’s impossible to know what to think - let alone how we feel about all of it - when the sun is up. During banking and business hours, it’s mostly a matter of battening down the hatches, holding on to our hands, and praying to live through another day, where maybe sanity might be restored, where we can keep our healthcare and not live in fear of deportation or authoritative takeover.

The night time is, truly, a breath of fresh air, when all good and addled conservatives are likely in bed, with visions of whiteness dancing all through their heads. Once the sun goes down, we can BREATHE, RELAX, and remember there is more to life than 32-point font headlines.

This tranquility serves as the source for CLN’s “Breathe.” The Brisbane, Australia alt-R&B delivers a sublime 4 minutes of glowing 8-bit synths and some crystalline marimba, with a swooning, hypnotic bassline growling in like the coming dusk, with CLN’s distorted digital vocals, reminiscent of James Blake at his most comforting, serve as a guiding light and calming voice.

It’s impossible to think clearly or make informed decisions when we are feeling panicked and anxious. Self-care has gone beyond self-indulgence to a radical, revolutionary act. Here at We Are: The Guard, we know you’re feeling overwhelmed, scared, sad, angry. We Are: The Guard, and CLN, would like to remind you to “Breathe.”

 J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.