Square Breath

London based singer, songwriter and producer Harvey Causon’s debut album, Square Breath, is in many ways a shift. Inspired as much by dance as it is music, it is a graceful, atmospheric album, with shifting ambient textures underscored by skittering grooves. The title Square Breath reflects that: since he was a child, Causon noticed that when he is anxious or inspired, he naturally breathes in a ‘square motion’. The album perfectly portrays this heightened yet meditative state, Causon’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics exposing his quantum-speed thought processes while deftly-constructed songs blend off-kilter R&B, sparse ambient, and soaring electronica. Yet Square Breath has an earthiness, aided by a rotating cast of friends, strings, horns, and backing vocals, this warm palette of sounds elevates and expands on his previous work, giving it a richness and space that sets it apart. At the same time, the walls of Causon’s mind claustrophobically close in around you, as his anxieties on everything from the worsening climate crisis to our increasing tech-dependency to a slowly-ending long term-relationship are laid bare.