For close to a decade, Rey Villalobos wrote three albums of atmospheric psychedelia and indie-folk under his moniker House of Wolves. But for the Ojai, California native, a change of pace was necessary. There’s something both familiar and new about "Breathe," switching to his birth name as a solo artist—his ominous new single blends a downtempo backbeat and swaying, oscillating guitars, using natural elements to describe a sense of escape. He incorporates an acoustic flourish on the song’s bridge, later to demolish it, perhaps a clever guise to remind us that he’s respecting the old and welcoming the new.
"Breathe" is the first single from Rey’s forthcoming EP, due out later this summer. – Juan Rodríguez