Breaking It Down | Primes - Single Review
March 10 | Written By Gillian Morrison
‘Breaking It Down’ is the newest single from Primes, the alternative rock powerhouse from Falkirk. Combining punchy guitars and an anthemic chorus, Breaking It Down sees Primes taking risks with their sound and having it pay off tenfold.
Released today, Breaking It Down is the first offering from Primes since their 2022 debut EP, Colours. Where their previously established ‘pop tinged alternative rock’ sound stays mainly intact, the most notable change comes from the switch in frontman, or more specifically, front-woman.
Previously relegated to a supporting harmonic role in the rest of Prime’s releases, guitarist Sarah Monteith – Skelton is allowed to shine here, taking over lead vocals for the first time. Her voice holds a lot of character, standing up to the pummelling indie rock of the track, whilst letting her Scottish accent come out just enough to give its sound a distinctive edge. Defiance passionately drips from her vocals, conveying the message of Breaking It Down without having to dive into the lyrics.
Which is not to say the lyrics should be ignored altogether, rather, they just add another layer of context for the track. Breaking It Down starts with the rather cryptic “Have you always looked alive?”, introducing the listener to the concept of appearances, a running theme for the whole of the song.
line is also reused at the start of the second verse, cementing its significance and making the ‘looked’ feel more important than the first time around. This is starkly contrasted to the end of the track, with final repeated refrain of “One more step towards the grave”, suggesting the pointlessness of putting on such a façade. Life is short, everyone will eventually die, and Primes is urging their audience to rebel against the concept of keeping up appearances. Quite literally vouching to just break it all down.
After the marching memento mori of the refrain, ‘Breaking It Down’ launches into an explosive guitar solo, releasing all the energy built up over the previous three minutes. A halftime breakdown on the drums builds significant expectation for a gigantic final chorus. Except it doesn’t. At the height of excitement, ‘Breaking It Down’ ends abruptly. It’s nice to think of that as an intentional choice by the band, a final chance to subvert expectation. Maybe it was a metaphor for breaking down their own work. Either way it is a jarring and provocative way to end, especially for a first-time listener.
‘Breaking It Down’ shows Primes taking a risk with switching up their lead vocalist, to great effect. Hopefully the band continues to keep Sarah in a prominent position, as they continue to break down expectations.