B-Side Guys

Friendship becomes increasingly imaginary during extended isolation periods, but Aidan Leclaire resists romanticizing this psychological shift. His “Break” functions as stark mental health inventory rather than nostalgic reflection, documenting how prolonged solitude transforms social connections into internal conversations. The track emerges from his Orwell-inspired debut Hail To The Dogs with particular honesty about depression’s practical effects on daily functioning and relationship maintenance.

Leclaire’s DIY production aesthetic serves his confessional content by refusing to polish away the rough edges that make vulnerability feel genuine. The slacker-grunge instrumentation provides enough energy to prevent the song from becoming purely depressive while maintaining enough restraint to let the lyrical content breathe. This balance reflects someone who understands that certain emotions require specific musical frameworks to feel properly expressed rather than simply cathartic.

The song’s most devastating revelation arrives through casual admission rather than dramatic declaration. “All my friends are in my mind” captures the specific loneliness of depression with precision that avoids self-pity while acknowledging genuine loss. Leclaire’s approach to discussing mental health symptoms feels informed by actual experience rather than aesthetic choice—the blood in the sink mentioned alongside offering drinks suggests someone familiar with self-harm’s mundane reality.

His vocal delivery carries the exhaustion of someone too tired to perform their pain for others’ comfort. When he admits “I am not how I appear,” the confession feels like relief rather than revelation—someone finally acknowledging the gap between public presentation and private experience. The phrasing suggests conversations with himself that have been ongoing long enough to develop their own rhythm and familiarity.

“Break” resonates because it documents depression’s social dimension without offering false hope or easy resolution. Leclaire has created something that acknowledges how mental health struggles isolate people from genuine connection while creating substitute relationships that provide temporary comfort. The desire to “go home” becomes both literal and metaphorical—seeking physical shelter and psychological safety that may no longer exist in accessible form.