Inhaler – If You’re Gonna Break My Heart Review

Passing the torch on to his son, it appears the quality of Bono has been sent straight to Elijah Hewson, frontman and excellent lyricist of Inhaler. New track If You’re Gonna Break My Heart certainly rivals the contemporary work Bono and friends are getting up to. Those comparisons to U2 are unfair and unfounded, but it is hard to remove Inhaler from that feeling when their opening, instant guitar riff plucks the very best of the revolutionary Irish rock band out. What bleeds through If You’re Gonna Break My Heart is an honesty and integrity essential to the work of Hewson and the gang, whose work on this latest single ahead of Cuts And Bruises is utterly magnificent.

This latest track from the Dublin-based post-punk rockers is nothing short of brilliant. An essential, modern indie rock track that gets a good grasp of the genre and shakes it into some new and exciting territory. Rising chord structures from Josh Jenkinson’s lead guitar work cannot go without praise on this one, a track that relies almost entirely on that. Immediate in cementing that presence, it gives Hewson a platform for his lyrical style. His crooning tones bring to life a fundamentally plain track of overwrought ideas. It is Inhaler’s quality that makes it such a unique experience, though. Powerful intonations and confidence are what mark them apart from their contemporaries.

Bright and pop-oriented showcases are embedded into a piece that hopes for “mercy”. Those contrasts between “mercy” and “murder” are well-established in a piece that coasts on through with some delicate, Americana stylings. Those intonations of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, as the band claims to have found influence in, are certainly felt here. Open roads and the freedom of moving through changing landscapes is a hopeful note to strike on, and Inhaler manages that successfully. Being crammed into the back of a beamer on the way to Newcastle with this cranked-up on the radio is not the same arena of influence, but it is the same attempted feeling. Inhaler has reached deep into what it means for them to be touring, to be out there on the road, and it comes through as genuine and thoughtful.

There is a remarkable depth and honesty to Inhaler’s recent singles that are lacking elsewhere in the post-punk genre. Hewson and company do not rush after some message or social acclimatisation, they are pushing through with rooted rock charms and do so with a smart indulgence in charming qualities. Gifted work sweeps through this Cuts and Bruises single, a quality track that gives in to its cheesy core, but builds on it with great precision and greater lyrics. Light, upbeat and with those essential lyrics of heartbreak and an inability to move on. Inhaler have found some comfortable genre tropes to work with but does not seem at all like they are going to lean into that static just yet. They move on and mark their latest single as an integral showcase of their sound. If You’re Gonna Break My Heart is a quality track, a piece that feels far more heartfelt and sincere than most of what is available in the genre at the moment.