The next best thing to a bold and thunderous bass line is a sexy and sultry saxophone and this is a hill I am willing to die on so I will argue this until the bitter end.
Jimmy Buffett even wrote a song about the importance of saxophones on his 1974 album Living and Dying in 3/4 Time.
And as a child of the 80’s, I have a soft spot for saxophones. Add a synth and you have my full attention.
All the Damn Vampires already caught my attention with their superb and neon dreamy album, Synth City, so when they teased their latest release with a little sax, I was full on stalking their socials waiting for the release.
For those unfamiliar with All the Damn Vampires, one may know its founder, Davey Oberlin from his other musical acts like that of Korn and Winds of Plague but don’t you dare let the heaviness of those acts lead you astray.
As I have said before, listening to All the Damn Vampires is as if you are floating on a neon cloud.
Originally released in 2019, “Breaking Up” received a 2022 upgrade. While not too different from the earlier release, the latest version of “Breaking Up” is crisper in sound and cleaner in production.
The synth isn’t over powering nor is the saxophone. Both allow the vocals of Ryan Rose to shine through.
What I dig about Ryan’s vocals is that he could have easily been an 80’s pop star. There are moments when I get a George Michael vibe in his vocals and as he belts out parts of the lyrics, I’m easily taken back to the vocal stylings of Johnny Hates Jazz, Breathe, Cutting Crew, and Corey Hart.
Listening to “Breaking Up”, I feel this song could have been in an episode of Moonlighting, perhaps even a musical number by Maddie (Cybil Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willis).
With “Breaking Up”, All the Damn Vampires gives us a wonderful throwback to when music wasn’t over produced and having a synth and sax was sexy AF.
This latest release confirms that we need more All the Damn Vampires in our lives.
Listen to “Breaking Up” below
