photo by Dominic Walsh; photo courtesy of BJF Media

Single Review of Shade: “Break Out” (Golden Robot Records)

Earworm alert! Shade is a Manchester-based fivesome comprised of, at the time “Break Out” was released, Luke Anthony Owens (guitar, lead vocals), Adam Taylor Clare (bass, backing vocals), Oliver Clare (drums, backing vocals), Ben Mcdonough (lead guitar), and Mac Anthony McCartney (keyboards, backing vocals).

image courtesy of BJF Media

With a raw, thumping, rock-driven sound supporting Owens’ crisply powerful vocals, Shade delivers a catchy, hard rockin’ “power pop” number with “Break Out.” You’ll find yourself singing along with the “break in, break out” chorus and/or the support vocals of “do whatchoo wanna, do whatchoo wanna” air-guitaring a bit during the nifty guitar solo bridge just past the song’s midway point, and/or air-drumming along with the prominent rhythm that drives “Break Out” forward. The song clocks in at a swift 2:37, but the tempo makes it seem to go by even faster.

More Recently

The band has released two additional singles since “Break Out.” At least, there are two more recent releases on the Shade Spotify page. Also, this review of the band’s August 2024 release “Supercars” discusses the line-up change that turned the band into a foursome.