Breathless

Breathless has remained largely unknown even among enthusiasts drawn to the shadowy, romantically charged terrain of British post-punk. The quartet merits recognition both for its longevity and for the immersive quality of its sound. Formed during the opening years of the 1980s, the group has retained nearly identical personnel well past the turn of the millennium while steadily refining its distinctive approach through sustained commitment and an openness to fresh directions.

Keyboardist Dominic Appleton and guitarist Gary Mundy first connected during their school years and had previously performed together in A Cruel Memory; they also provided support for Anne Clark’s debut release, The Sitting Room. Appleton later took a position at London’s Virgin Megastore, where he encountered college student Ari Neufeld, who played bass across several small ensembles. Neufeld invited Appleton to contribute keyboards to one of her projects, yet the pair soon concluded that, although their own collaboration felt promising, the larger band did not suit them. They therefore departed and began composing together, with Appleton recommending Mundy as guitarist. Early rehearsals went well, and Appleton discovered a commanding, theatrical singing voice that became central to the music. The band’s name was taken from a Jean-Luc Godard French New Wave film, and activity quickly followed.

Following tryouts, Neufeld’s acquaintance Tristam Sayer assumed the drum chair until 1986, when ex-Danielle Dax percussionist Martyn Watts stepped in. The resulting lineup has remained fixed ever since. Retaining complete autonomy, the members established the Tenor Vossa label expressly to issue their recordings, allowing them to proceed at a self-determined tempo and release albums and singles without regard for contemporary fashions. Most of the catalog occupies a richly atmospheric sphere of expansive, emotionally charged material that embraces dramatic flair; while echoes of Echo and the Bunnymen and the Chameleons can be detected, the quartet maintains a singular character.

Appleton gained the widest recognition through his vocal contributions to the second and third albums by the 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, where his intense delivery meshed seamlessly with the project’s restrained intensity. Mundy meanwhile attracted underground notice through his operation of the Broken Flag imprint, which housed radical acts such as MB and Satori, and through his leadership of the abrasive aggro-rock and power-electronics unit Ramleh, whose associations extend to Skullflower and Ascension. These endeavors share no audible kinship with his Breathless work, yet he has characterized the dual path as “good discipline…in creating different kinds of music.”

Following several strong releases, among them Three Times and Waving and Chasing Promises, the band issued the retrospective Heartburst in 1995. Several years later it resurfaced with the 1999 album Blue Moon, which introduced elements of psych and drone rock into its established dark, forceful style. By the beginning of 2001 a further recording was under consideration for the underrecognized group.