Second albums are often difficult animals to tame. If the first was well received then it would seem like a good idea to keep the bits that made it so, while also showing signs of further development and improvement at the same time. Breton have managed pretty much all of that with a record that pushes their already unique sound still further. They still have the urban edginess and restless beats that made ‘Other People’s Problems’ such a good listen, and the unique vocals, which are often half spoken and half sung, but ‘War Room Stories’ has something a bit extra. It feels more natural, more open to progression, and more expansive – which is good when you’re dealing with choruses as catchy as those stuck to ‘Envy’ and the superb ‘Got Well Soon’ – but this and tracks like ‘S4’ are careful to keep the slightly doom-laden beats Breton have cultivated so well. The Berlin setting for their recording seems to have inspired the band, who used a lot of the aptly named ‘Funkhaus Studios’ as a source of interesting sound materials and field recordings. Vocally they sound fresh and up for it, too – with a good deal more funk and attitude thrown in for good measure. ‘Other People’s Problems’ deserved much more recognition than it got, but hopefully ‘War Room Stories’ will be the record that brings Breton to a much wider audience. It’s definitely good enough.
