ARTBAT, Another Life, CAY (DE) 'Breathe In' on UPPERGROUND

The third of three records to appear on UPPERGROUND this season, 'Breathe In' finds ARTBAT in collaboration with Another Life and CAY (DE). It is the label's seventh release of 2023, and it is a record that breathes. Its weight sits in the chords, which roll over in slow motion and fade with patient decay. There are few hits to the beat, keeping the focus on the air between notes, and the top end has plenty of space for the high summer.

In Lisbon and Berlin, these are the weeks when the sun does not set until late, and 'Breathe In' is built for that long light. Its soft level leaves headroom to spare, and its warmth comes through on systems at any volume. The record was immediately picked up by Fideles, who placed it sixth in their 'Summer Madness 23' chart on 30 June, and by ARTBAT themselves, who put it at the top of their own 'BREATHE IN' chart on 22 June. Nine of the twelve records in that chart are on UPPERGROUND.

'Breathe In' arrives as ARTBAT's first release on UPPERGROUND since 10 February, when 'Dreamcatcher' landed, a gap of about four months. That release was also a collaboration, with Another Life and CAY (DE) on vocals, and it set the tone for the label's year. This one continues that thread, a record that carries the label's sound into the heart of summer.