MANE’s latest release Breathing Again is a masterclass in pop balladry, and arrives complete with a live rendition performed for Hourglass Sessions.
MANE has released Breathing Again, the first single to be lifted from the Adelaide singer-songwriter’s upcoming sophomore EP.
A stirring portrait of uncertainty, identity and self-assuredness, the ballad serves as a showcase of the distinct androgyny of MANE’s vocals, which wrap seamlessly around the track’s lush pop production.
Led by shimmering piano keys and MANE’s Florence Welch-like croon, Breathing Again later ascends to anthemic levels, with booming instrumentals and a take on 80s pop on the earworm hook.
Lyrically, MANE — known off stage as Paige Court — declares her confidence in the face of life’s uncertainty, singing of being “caught in the undertow” and “unpack[ing] all my memories” before revelling in the state of “slowly healing.” In the song’s latter half, MANE pairs her triumphant message of “start[ing] to breath again” with a slow-build bridge that explodes with airy backing harmonies and a euphoric delivery of the track’s closing lines.
Marrying the anthemic sensibility of Jess Glynne with the empowering lyricism of Lizzo, Breathing Again serves as a masterclass in feel-good pop balladry. Speaking of the single in a press statement, MANE said Breathing Again is about “a moment of clarity or relief in the midst of healing from something.”
She continued: “It’s refreshing, relieving and sometimes exciting to feel, especially if it’s felt heavy and dark for so long. Finding a space where you can genuinely smile [and] breathe after a grief is a testament to your own resilience.”
In celebration of Breathing Again, MANE has released a live rendition of the single, filmed for an Hourglass Session at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, Virginia. MANE toured throughout the US state last year, and stopped by the record store for a pitch-perfect take on the single accompanied by drummer Miles Sly, guitarist Benjamin Tamblyn-Morrow and Ian Atchison on the keys. Watch MANE’s Hourglass Session for Breathing Again below.
MANE released her breakout single Chasing Butterflies in 2019, before making her debut the following year with the EP Coping Mechanisms. Elsewhere, she’s performed at festivals from Groovin’ The Moo to Spin Off, and is gearing up for the release of her sophomore EP sometime this year. Listen to MANE’s new single Breathing Again below, and head here to find out more about the Adelaide musician.
