SONG REVIEW: Summer Stained - "Breaking Me"
Summer Stained close out the summer season with “Breaking Me”
Written by JD Walker
With the last days of summer behind us and spooky season in full swing, the yearning for one last taste of summer vibes is all too real. The aptly named Italian quartet Summer Stained gave us one last upbeat banger for the season as we head into colder, drearier weather with the catchy, poppy tune “Breaking Me”.
“Breaking Me” starts off wasting no time out of the gate with an uptempo beat driven by guitarists Julian Gamper and Hannes Gumpold (who also assumes the duties of lead vocals), bassist Kevin Grünfelder, and drummer Valentin Ambach. The song transitions effortlessly between sections as the choppy verses blend well with the chordsy choruses, and Gumpold’s higher register of vocals is reminiscent of the classic pop-punk/emo vocal stylings of Tom DeLonge or Gerard Way.
“Breaking Me” plays like a shorter song but comes in at almost 4 minutes on the dot, a testament to the songwriting skill of the band. The group are clearly talented musicians, though they utilize their high level of musicianship in a way that’s most beneficial to the song as a whole. The song ends before the listener even realizes, giving the group a high propensity of repeat listens and the infectious element of a catchy hit song. Though songwriting and composition were the main factors, each individual player stood out in their own respects - Ambach drove the song with his high energy playing, Gamper’s tasteful note choice added a layer of complexity and depth to the otherwise straightforward track, Grünfelder stayed in the pocket and established the groove that allowed the song to remain consistently catchy and flowing (while also providing backing vocals), and Gumpold took center stage with his charismatic delivery of the lead vocals.
In addition to the well-written song and stellar playing, the accompanying video for “Breaking Me” holds high production value and keeps the viewer engaged during the strictly performance-only video. With lighting design reminiscent of Spiritbox’s “Circle With Me”, the different shades and hues of blue set the mood for the band to rock out and provide the world with one last summer jam.
Summer Staind play to their many strengths well and clearly know how to write a song - the Italian emo/pop-punk outfit is the second single off their forthcoming debut EP, and if this is the standard that they’re setting for themselves then the sky's the limit for these guys.