Skinny Dippers gives you that moment to breathe with the peaceful and glistening new single "Breathe." Penned during a School of Song facilitated songwriting workshop of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, the song marks the first taste of the Skinny's forthcoming "Zealous Gardener" EP, and it's a quietly breathtaking nudge to take a step back and bask in the silence.
Brooklyn singer-songwriter Ryan Gross, aka Skinny Dippers, has formulated a signature sound that is both ocean-washed and city-honed. This is fitting for someone who grew up on the Maine coast, raised amidst the waves, and recorded deep in the heart of Brooklyn's indie rock. Produced and recorded with the band Toledo, "Breathe" is a shimmering concoction of crystalline guitar layers, lullaby synths, and flecks of choral harmonies that emerge into something that stretches out like the sunrise after a sleepless night.
"Breathe" isn't about finding peace as much as it is about struggling. A low-level tension underneath the mellow arrangement mirrors the struggle between inner peace and the exigencies of a hectic world. Gross' lyrics gently drag us down with the honesty they provide, holding on to these small, precious moments when we finally come up for air.
Fans of Hovvdy, The Shins, and Stephen Malkmus will be at home here, but "Breathe" is no mimicry. It's confident, introspective, and a step forward for Skinny Dippers as a reminder that openness is a superpower in songwriting. Gross's instinct for bonding close, personal storytelling with heartstring-tugging, wind-swept indie rock textures continues to flourish. If this first single is any indicator, then "Zealous Gardener" will be an individual yet universally recognizable record. "Breathe" asks you not just to listen but to feel, to linger in your thoughts, to mull over, and most importantly, to stop and remember the simple act of pausing. It's a palate cleanser in a crowded landscape.
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