Through her immersive soundscapes and intricate writing, Bethany Weimers explores heartbreak and renewal in powerful fashion on her new EP
A collection of tracks that have been through a turbulent journey, first written over a decade ago following a breakup and and never seeing the light of day for various reasons, Bethany Weimers‘ haunting and powerful new EP The Story I Breathe was finally released earlier this year, providing a collection of tracks that explore a full spectrum of emotions as the artist navigates her way through endings and new beginnings.
The EP opens with ‘Heartbreaker Police’, a track that melds the artist’s conversational, folk-inspired vocals and lyrics with a rousing and pulsating soundscape that is packed full of vibrancy and life, its colourful synths adding a sense of fun and dynamism to a track rooted in betrayal and disappointment. The self-produced and mixed nature of the track and the EP as a whole gives it this really authentic and honest feel throughout, bringing narratives like this to life in a whole new way and giving it an added amount of weight, as well as the vivid and stark nature of Bethany’s lyrics.
The title track ‘The Story I Breathe’ follows, a track that sees the artist employ a more stripped-back soundscape while still making use of the cute sonic quirks and intricacies that fill her sound with so much personality and distinctive charm. The lyrics here continue down this emotional and heartbroken path, this time less lashing out in anger and more delving into a sense of melancholy reflection, making for some gut-punching and truly memorable moments that are once again amplified by the clarity and depth that she goes into on her writing. While there is a really personal and specific aspect to this narrative and story, it is easy for listeners to attach themselves to the emotion and hurt that is explored here, and resonate with the emotions that she articulates so deftly.
Bethany seems to have something of a moment of rebirth on the wild one, a track that sees the artist starting fresh and searching for a sense of purpose and belonging. There is a really atmospheric kind of tension that is built throughout the soundscape, building from just a looping synth hook into something that feels fully formed and powerful, echoing the feeling of strength and empowerment that is explored through the lyrics. Following the more sombre nature of the previous two tracks, this does a great job of propelling the EP forward and providing it with something that feels more upbeat and invigorating, continuing to showcase Bethany’s multifaceted appeal and ambition for her sound.
The gorgeous ‘Tabula Rasa’ is the track that draws the EP to a close, a wonderfully crafted piano led track that sees the artist taking a last look back before emerging into a fresh slate, feeling renewed and cleansed of the situation and employing a carefree and free-flowing sound that feels ambitious and packed full of possibility and wonder. This track is the perfect piece of closure following the journey that the artist has been on throughout these tracks, and while they may just be four tracks that were recovered from an almost-scrapped, much more all-encompassing project, they still manage to tell a really engrossing story that that sees the artist reach her lowest and emerge out of the other side in just four captivating tracks.
