Breach (2025)

The Leadup

Announced merely a year and a few months after Clancy, Breach promised to finish the story created. Prior to this announcement, fans were teased that Clancy was not the end of the story like they were told, as at the end of "Paladin Strait", there is a monologue from the main antagonist, Nico, indicating that they were not done yet. That said, the band toured and remained quiet on whether or not that meant anything. The band leaned into unpredictability, releasing teasers that felt like interruptions rather than announcements, as though the narrative itself was breaking through. This approach built anticipation in a different way: rather than solving puzzles, fans were piecing together emotional and thematic signals that hinted at instability, transition, and the coming shift that Breach would embody.

Theming

Being the direct continuation of Clancy, Breach continues the story of esacping cycles, but introduces themes of community and being scared of endings, whether it's the ending of the story, life, or a relationship. There are references to mental breakdowns and outbursts in several songs and, like before, the fear of growing old. "RAWFEAR" specifically talks about living in a constant state of motion driven by fear, and the cycles of running, feeling, and pretending. "Cottonwood" is about the regret of not getting close to someone before they passed, and how often he is looking back in time, reflecting. "Center Mass" is about anxiety and letting his friends and family down and having to pretent to be someone else for them. As Joseph grows older, we can see that a lot of his music has become more reflective and his fears have evolved to be more "big picture", which is something I believe everyone can relate to. The ending of the album specifically indicates that falling back into a cycle doesn't mean that you'll never break it, just that you have to fail before you make it. "RAWFEAR"'s bridge encapsulates this perfectly.

Learning all that really matters is a slow and painful lesson,
It is not pass or fail, but a poisonous progression,
Try to micro-dose to immunity but you'll never, ever get it,