By Stephanie Garr
Breckin, the project of Melbourne-based Heather Marsh, is refreshingly anachronistic. And it’s not just in her haunting, ’90s-leaning dream-folk. The singer-songwriter has the sort of staunch independence and carefreeness of an artist in dire need of creating for sanity’s sake—a thing that sometimes feels like a long-lost ideal. She began as a classical violinist and visual artist, but she naturally transforms to a guitar-slinging songstress for her self-released debut album, Shiner, due out on May 26.
Marsh describes herself as a storyteller who documents “tales of beauty from the grubby fringes of society.” Thus, her lyrics hit sharp and cut deep, and they do so rather quickly—right from the first words of her first single “The Story Bridge”: “I heard you left us last night/You climbed up the Story Bridge, spread your arms and you took flight/A ragged, tattooed lark, falling into the dark.” There’s no questioning the subject of her lament. Her imagery is vivid and devastating, but her voice remains eerily calm—hushed, almost angelic—over the sad trembling of her guitar.
Recorded on analog tape, the song glows with a warm vintage hue, even when hefty beats come pounding through as if cueing for a funeral march. But Marsh isn’t here to grieve, only to give hope: “Let this be a tale for all the rest,” she softly trills, “The shore is still in sight/The numbness won’t last all night.”
For more news and updates, go to Breckin’s website or follow her on Facebook. Below, check out the black-and-white video for “The Story Bridge.”
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