Verity White – Breaking Out (2017)

Multi-award winning artist, Verity White, released her debut album, Breaking Out, late last year.  Her music takes inspiration from a variety of genres including alternative, rock, grunge and metal, which are all put to use throughout her album.  Her lyrics are used as a form of expression from personal experiences, which is why her music has the ability to connect on an emotional level.

‘Breaking Out’ is the first song on the album, and there is a heavy appearance of drums and electric guitar setting up the song with a cutting edge and risky tune.  The guitar is the dominant instrument, and the same chords are played throughout the song’s entirety.  The only indication of the change between the verses and the chorus is the beat becoming fast-paced and her voice becoming louder and more intense.  The song is about moving out from under someone’s grip; breaking out from the ridicule and superiority that they are showing towards you and letting them see that you are better and stronger than they thought you were or ever could be.

Following this track is ‘Zeros and Ones’.  The song is about breaking apart from a relationship that is no longer working.  It is much slower than the first and incorporates the alternative side of Verity White, but by the time the chorus comes around, we are exposed to her angry side.

Verity White’s ‘Demons in Your Head’ is the third song off the album. The song uses sounds of electric and rock that tie together nicely creating this deep and emotional song.  She combines the guitar and drums with the sound of synthesisers, which is an interesting combination.  The song is about falling into a deep depression and trying to find a release within that.  It’s about finding the ability to escape the shadow spreading its arms out over you.  The lyrics combined with the heavy sounds set up a perfect harmony allowing the song to be translated emotionally by the listeners.

‘I Don’t Care’ is a track off the album, Breaking Out, that has been considered a fan favourite.  The song is about drinking to forget your problems and letting go off things that don’t matter.  The instruments were played to construct the genre of grunge rock which backed up the lyrics nicely and set up this image of a hardcore party girl who doesn’t care.  I really enjoyed this song because I liked the story that was told through the combination of lyrics and sound.

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‘See Through’ is a meaningful song about the need and struggle to find answers to why she is the way she is.  She needs a reason for acting how she is and needs to pinpoint how it all went wrong.  This song is an extremely personal song that allows us to see White’s vulnerability.  I think it adds a more emotional attachment to the album from her.

‘Face It’ is a confronting song about taking responsibility for your life and getting what you want by relying on no one other than yourself.  ‘Exhale’ is an electric metal-style song that is about taking a chance and the idea that people are more capable than they give themselves credit for.

‘Your Darkest Secret’ is a track off the album that is constructed by its grunge sounds with the drum being the dominant instrument by not carrying over the beat but influencing the way that Verity sings.  My interpretation of this song is that Verity is acting as an emotion inside someone.  She is a conscious body waiting for the person to break down so she can take over and destroy them, like depression.  The song is interesting and unique as it personifies a disease which, in turn, creates more emotion and attachment to the song.

‘Slow Fall’ is a love song to a possible current boyfriend.  However, the song is not about what it’s like to be with him but more about the struggle she went through to find him.  We can envision all the bad ones she had to go through to find him finally.  It’s about her completely trusting someone and letting them break down her walls.

The last song on the album is ‘Overcome’.  ‘Overcome’ is about an internal battle over loving someone who is not good for you because it feels good.  She is conflicted between being free and being in touch the happy feelings she sometimes feels when being with him.  It is a song that carries deep emotion, and when portrayed through a rock metal sound, I think it really carries the message through as we are about to feel her pain.

The album cover is of Verity White.  It is as though we are seeing her through a door that’s ajar and we aren’t supposed to be looking.  I think this creates the illusion that we are seeing her at her most vulnerable state when she thinks no one can see her.  It is a nod to the album as she is letting us see into her mind through each story she tells.

The album had a way of creating a perfect harmony between the lyrics and the sounds to tell a personal story about Verity and allow us to see the struggles she goes through in her life.  Breaking Out is an excellent debut album as it allows us to become exposed to all the different genres that Verity can pursue and shows us that we can trust her by showing her vulnerable side.

Breaking Out is available via Verity White’s Bandcamp.