Song Premiere: "The Breaker" by Aaron James

Photo Credit: Gabrielle Duffie

Singer-songwriter Aaron James’s forthcoming album, Nobody Really Makes Love Anymore — out November 4th on Memphis-based indie label Unapologetic — is an artistic statement that feels like one long meaningful conversation about love, addressing the full spectrum sentimentality of the emotion. The 13-track album winds through actual short and thoughtful spoken musings on love along with songs of sadness, longing, pondering, anger, and, even, a few hopeful and positive tunes.

The single, “The Breaker”, is groovy indie-folk layered with Aaron’s trademark “stacked dreamy lead vocals,” an undeniable lilting rhythm, and ambient outdoor touches like chirping birds that lend it an in-nature lo-fi charm. In the second half of the tune, a beat sneaks in showcasing a tastefully integrated hip-hop influence. This is the direct influence of Unapologetic, the label and community who are behind the production of the record. “The main producer on this album, Kid Maestro, works with Miss Lauryn Hill and has had his mind a part of many amazing projects. His influence, as well as the influence of the rest of the team, is very heavily seeded in this whole album, but that presence may be felt the most in this track,” Aaron says. “And I love it. It takes my folk songwriting to a unique place that I know it’d never go on my own.”

Exclusive Quote from Aaron James:

“‘The Breaker’ was a song conceived from me coming to the realization that I had never broken anyone’s heart before. I’m not sure what the word is for a negative epiphany…but it was that. Realizing that out of any of the even relatively serious love interests in my life, I had always come out on the worst end of them. There was a lot of reflection that came out of that realization…like, what does that say about me that I’ve only ever been on the broken side of the spectrum, and I’ve never been the breaker?

At that time, there was a lot of frustration stemming from communication with someone that had recently turned sour, and the lyrics definitely stemmed from that frustration. I of course would never actually want to intentionally break someone’s heart…but the narrator of this song definitely would. And he’s talking about how he wants to be the breaker, and everything he’d do to break someone’s heart. But what I love about it is that as the listener, you kind of realize that the only reason he knows exactly what to do, is because it must’ve been done to him. So even though he’s talking about doing these shitty things to somebody else, you can also maybe feel a bit of sympathy.

‘The Breaker’ was one of the last songs written for the album, and from a writing standpoint, I don’t know if I have anything else that I’m more proud of. And I hope it reaches those who can connect with it”.

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