Posts Tagged ‘Launchpad+’

Listen: ‘Carrying On’ by break_fold

Posted: 19 February 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Ambient electronic producer break_fold has announced his forthcoming EP Tracker, and shares its lead single ‘Carrying On’. Set for release on 1st May via analog horizons in partnership with Launchpad+ / EMI North, Tracker continues Tim Hann’s deeply personal exploration of family, memory and identity through immersive and innovative sound design.

Built on cyclical synth motifs, undulating low frequencies and delicately splintered percussive elements, new single ‘Carrying On’ captures the emotional push and pull of childhood mischief and reconciliation. Playful and melodic, the track unfolds gradually in movements that range from shimmering calm to distorted tension, before eventually finding resolution once more; mirroring the rhythms of sibling life.

“’Carrying On’ is a reference to what my parents used to say to me and my brother when we were getting a bit hard to handle when we were kids,” explains Tim. “It’s a phrase that has stuck with me from a really formative age. The structure of the song represents the cycle of me and my brother playing together; from playing well, to being told off, to playing well together again. I was thinking about when my brother and I used to play and how it started out fun and invariably sometimes got out of hand. My parents would step in, calm things down, and then it would start all over again.”

Throughout the track, glitchy ambient textures and delicate arpeggiated themes are offset by moments of grit and disruption, reinforcing break_fold’s gift for translating personal history into dynamic electronic compositions.

Listen here:

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Tracker serves as a companion piece to break_fold’s previous EP release Planner. Where Planner reflected Tim’s father’s work-focused alter-ego, Tracker turns to another of his Dad’s self-appointed nicknames: “The Tracker EP is a reference to my Dad, who gave himself nicknames that others in the family then started using,” Tim explains. “‘Tracker’ is a reference to his persona when on holiday or away from work. If we were on holiday and were trying to find a place of interest, he’d be in Tracker mode. Planner is when my Dad was at work.” As with ‘Carrying On’ and previous single ‘Pet’, across the EP break_fold ties together nods to family sayings, misheard phrases, and the small but defining details of growing up in the North East of England in the 1990s.

For Tim, both Planner and Tracker serve as time capsules; deeply personal yet universally resonant snapshots of childhood, family dynamics and regional identity. Operating from his Bradford studio, break_fold has steadily carved out a distinctive space within the UK’s underground electronic landscape since debuting in 2017. With three albums and several EP releases already under his belt, the Hartlepool-raised producer’s work balances what he describes as “pessimism and optimism in equal measure.” Support from BBC 6 Music and tastemaker outlets has marked him as one of the North’s most compelling ambient electronic voices. Tracker is out 1st May 2026 via analog horizons & Launchpad+ / EMI North

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break_fold - press shot four

The 113 – Leach

Posted: 21 January 2026 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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Christopher Nosnibor

I find it most disconcerting shopping in my local Co-op. The self-service checkouts film you, and you can see yourself on the screen above your head while you scan your items. Surveillance and facial recognition is everywhere now. The other day, I passed a venue where a guy in a flat cap was ordered my security to remove his hat and “look into that camera” before being told he could replace his cap and enter the venue. We really have come to this: you can’t go shopping or go for a drink without a capture of your visage ‘for security’. I appreciate that shoplifting is at a record high and violent crime is rife, but is this really the solution? How about asking why we have these issues? And what happens with these captured images? Who views them? How long are they stored, and where? Are they being passed off to train AI?

The ‘if you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to worry about’ argument is missing the point, and no longer holds water. The state of things in America with brutal ICE raids where countless American citizens have been mauled, detained, and even murdered (because regardless of the official line, Renee Nicole Good was murdered: those shots were not fired in self-defence, and we live in a horrible, brutal, fucked-up world). And this shit affects you. Well, it certainly affects me, and I know I’m not alone in feeling jumpy, on edge, endlessly anxietised by the prospect of what may happen next, the prospect of waking up to discover that WWIII has broken out while asleep.

This new single by 311 touches on this, significantly, as it happens. as their bio notes summarise: ‘Propelled by discordant guitars and thunderous offbeat rhythms, ‘Leach’ is an abrasive dystopian statement on surveillance, data harvesting and the quiet unease of modern digital life; both a rallying cry against the advancement and negative impacts of big tech, and an honest admission of powerlessness and inevitability in the face of it all.’

It’s a killer single and yet again evidence of just how fertile Leeds is as a spawning ground for fantastic bands. London, Manchester, even Sheffield receive so much hype, but despite being the epicentre of goth in the early 80s and the place for post-rock in the mid 2000s, Leeds seems to be criminally lacking in recognition for its contribution to music, despite Blacklisters, despite Pulled Apart by Horses… and 311 are another bands that should be flagging the city on the national – and international – radar. Because ‘Leach’ brings it all, from churning math-rock, angularity and anguish, colliding post-rock with post-punk and huge energy, they pack menacing and searing riff energy and… and… yeah. This is good.

It’s worth remembering punk and post-punk emerged from terrible times, where it felt like music offered a rare escape, both for those who created it and attended shows. And here we are again.

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