breakk.away - Topic

breakkaway formed in 2022, while its founding members attended a US arts academy, arriving from as far afield as China, France and Mexico. “I think for all of us it was the first time in our lives where we found ourselves in a place that music and art was OK to pursue,” Li says. Crucially, too, they found each other: kindred spirits for whom, as Li attests, the creation of music is “an extension of our existence.” Over cheap takeout and movie nights, the band would stitch together the rich layers of the breakkaway blueprint. Little wonder their music is imbued with such cinematic qualities, in its own way, a soundtrack to the daydream visuals it conjures.

breakkaway is in Li’s words about creating art with intent; art with a clear “philosophy” that informs not just music, but an entire aesthetic. The band’s expanse of musical influences is mirrored in other mediums, be it literature (Kazuo Ishiguro, Roland Barthes), poetry (Richard Siken, Ocean Vuong), fashion (Alexander McQueen, Yohji Yamamoto), film (Wong Kar-wai, Michel Gondry), photography and more.

breakkaway is Jessica Li, Case Fadell, Romain Dammann, Jorge Gonzalez Diez Gutierrez, and Ethan Chan.