An electric riff breezes through your speakers. It’s accompanied by melodic, laid-back, charming vocals. It’s Fresh Breath, and their single, “Through My Window”; the title track off their full-length album. And it’s a feel-good, lush, alt-country, contemporary song about growing up, and being okay with it.
Josh & Katie Pascoe are the husband/wife, dynamic duo behind Fresh Breath. And the pair are exactly that. Their approach to songwriting and performing have garnished them praise and accolades over their decade-long career as a formidable staple in the music community in Canada. Through My Window (November 2023) serves as the follow-up to their “pandemic piece”, How Did I Get Here, the six-song strong EP that garnered several award nominations with The International Singer Songwriter Association, and with The Canadian Independent Music Video Awards..
Now armed with their “Through My Window” single, the pair have turned out another track prepped for the listener’s replay button.
“This song was inspired by artist Madison Cunningham,” says Fresh Breath. “After hearing one of her incredible guitar riffs, Josh started playing with a new spark. By the time the riff was created, Josh had already produced a rough demo for the song in our home studio. When he played it for Katie, she instantly started singing the lyrics out loud. The words just slipped out, as soon as she opened her mouth. As if the idea had been waiting in the wings for years. With a few tweaks and changes here and there, the whole song was recorded as a demo within an hour.” Later, the group re-recorded the track in studio with their full band and producer Brett Humber of Sound Foundry Studios.
The track serves as one of ten new songs from the Through My Window album due out this winter. It’s a head-swaying, groove-infused, campfire, open-road, late night cocktail jam – building to a rushing crescendo. “When I grow up, I won’t give up, if I grow up at all,” Katie croons over the melody. “Through My Window” sets the stage for an album devoid of filler, each song a continuation from the last, a journey to the next.
“This is a record you can truly listen to from beginning to end,” says Fresh Breath. “Each track brings to the table something unique and special. Carefully crafted with a real 70’s rock vibe like Van Morrison met with Fleetwood Mac & Tom Petty over coffee, while Madison Cunningham and Kacey Musgraves walk in the cafe door.”
Laid down in the studio with accompaniment of John Huff on drums and vocals, Ken Ross on bass and vocals, and Brett Humber on synth, midi, guitar and vocals, Fresh Breath say having each player’s own personality on Through My Window gives the entire record a “rock n roll edge”. “You can hear the sweat drip from Josh’s fingers as he slides on guitar,” they promise, adding: “The breath work in Katie’s shivering flute solos will make the hair stand on your arms. The pounce of the rhythm section drives steady like a well-oiled machine as John and Ken play off each other in real time. And the group vocals throughout the record thrive with originality and various timbres.”
Fresh Breath continue to swim upstream in their breakaway from conventional alt-rock records and produce an entirely new spin to the genre. Turning away from the mold and designing a free-flowing soundscape for the listener, they have truly embodied their name. For they are, indeed, a Fresh Breath.
