Skinny Dippers is the Brooklyn, NY-based musical project of singer/songwriter Ryan Gross. The first single from his forthcoming Zealous Gardener EP, Breathe was written in a songwriting workshop with Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief via the wonderful School of Song.
It’s an indie-folk ditty about navigating the space between stress and serenity, and a mindful documentation of the sensation of trying to hold onto glimmers of peace in a fast-moving and at times emotionally draining world.
As with his prior work, Breath was produced and recorded in collaboration with renowned indie alt-folk duo Toledo. There’s a warmth to the acoustic instruments and a whimsy to the vocals that seem to create almost duvet-like levels of comfort. By the time the buzzsaw guitar is introduced around halfway through the song you are already on cloud nine and nothing could kill the vibe.
There’s a familiarity and conviviality in lines like “talking on the phone with an old friend / both catching up as we dive in”, and “creamsicle clouds and I’m into this / sitting in bliss so oblivious” that makes Breathe feel both instantly relatable and rigorously reassuring.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
