In her own words, Oakland shoegaze solo act highandfragile is “a project founded out of desperation for emotional relief by Breannyn DeLongis.” A refreshing departure from the conventions of the genre (typically dominated by men), highandfragile’s debut EP i was not well operates within the space where angst and actualization coalesce, exploring the modern pitfalls of being a young adult—it’s angry, artful, and honest all at once. The chorus of opening track “happy birthday” (streaming below) is almost anthemic (as much as is possible for shoegaze.) In this project, DeLongis has established herself as an artist and is definitely one to watch in the future. She will be joining There’s Talk at their record release show at Rickshaw Stop on March 8th. – Lilly Milman
