Like the last few of their singles, Inhaler debuted "When It Breaks" on Annie Mac's Future Sounds. Annie has been a steadfast advocate of the Dublin rock band, and for good reason - they've been consistently releasing the best songs of their career. They continue to upstage themselves, and this latest single is no different.
Written alongside Pulp's Anthony Genn, "When It Breaks" is a guitar band fan's wet dream. While the lyrics express exceptionally relatable feelings of pandemic-induced loneliness, anxiety, and restlessness, I feel like the guitars really shine in this song. The fast-paced nature of both the lead and bass guitars make this song seem almost twisty and turny (that's a professional term, right?). It's clearly meant to mirror and communicate how the band felt while stuck at home, unable to do their jobs that they love so much. “Over lockdown we were floating around the instrumental demo," Inhaler said in a statement about their newest single. "It was dark but also pretty hopeful sounding. When we went back to the studio over the summer and really got to put our heads together again, we felt like we had to write something about what was going on and how we felt about it.
"It seems so hard to tell / What's real or fake / Can't let this moment go to waste," frontman Eli Hewson croons, and he's not wrong. For the past eight or so months, it has often been difficult for me, like so many others, to distinguish one day from another. I've been told that this should be a time to take care of myself, that we're all experiencing trauma like we never have before, but at the same time, it feels like if I take a pause, I'll fall behind in both my personal and professional life. So many bands have been taking advantage of this time where they can't tour to write and record, too, and Inhaler can't be exempt from the pressure to produce that's befallen so many of their peers. I appreciate so much that they felt it was important to write about this situation that we're all struggling to get accustomed to - but they've done so in a hopeful way. "I like this feeling / I'm not dreaming anymore," comes the bridge. Whereas in March it truly felt like there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel, you can almost conceptualize one now.
On the single, the band said, "The lyrics and the music communicate the anxiousness of how we were all feeling and still are now a couple of months later. It's our interpretation of this strange and imperfect world we've come to live in...Things are gonna change and we are going to be there when they do." With their debut album due out in early 2021, it really does seem like Inhaler will be right there when this particular storm breaks. I'm telling you all - if there is one single band you pay attention to, it should be Inhaler. This single is going to send them skyrocketing and their much-anticipated full-length is going to have them mainstream worldwide. I'm calling it now. If you'd like to keep up with Inhaler (and I seriously suggest you do so), they can be found on Twitter and Instagram. They don't currently have any upcoming tour dates (shocking, I know), but just you wait until they're back in action - this song in particular is going to shred.