The Break Mission

4 stars... Smooth sounds with even smoother transitions allow the individual tracks to present themselves as essential parts of a better whole. - revolt

They released their awesome new EP, The Prospect earlier this month, celebrating with a stellar release show at The Annex. This is some seriously great music - and chatting with the guys was a blast. - Breakthruradio

"We just found out about this trio and their new EP The Prospect. The music sounds and feels passionate, and the instrumentation is beautiful." - mog.com - Mog.com

While The Break Mission's debut album sounds best when the volume's cranked up, the band is equally adept with a slow-burning ballad. Producer Dan McLoughlin layers quieter tracks like "Hold On" with atmospheric string and organ arrangements, but it's singer-guitarist Jeff Knowlton's sense of melody and soaring vocal lines that truly stand out. - Boston Magazine

Surprisingly few American bands have signed on to the successful trend of British pop bands who favor minor key piano-based melodies and quietly earnest vocals to the more brash, guitar-based mopery of the American emo bands. Kind of surprising, since Coldplay sell a lot more records than even Bright Eyes; one would think this was a bandwagon worth jumping. In lesser hands, the self-titled debut by the Break Mission would be considered just that, but the Boston foursome led by guitarist/pianist Jeff Knowlton doesn't just go the Keane route and try to be Coldplay Lite. Amid all the gloom of hazy, atmospheric tunes like "This Is Detachment" (which has strong elements of both Scottish depressives Snow Patrol and the darker side of Death Cab for Cutie), there are songs here with the spiky insistence of the assertive guitar rocker "Echo" and the delicacy of the whispery, mostly acoustic "Collecting Small Victories." Although the Break Mission is still at a point where they're best discussed in terms of their influences, their debut album is strong enough to bode well for their future. - All Music Guide

The bite is there. But it’s more of a soothing nibble than a dangerous chomp. The four songs available for download from their self-titled full-length are mid-tempo, meandering bits of reverb-rock contemplation...Guitar phrases chime and descend in forlorn drips, and strings carry the passive melancholy along until the crucial turnaround of the song's finish...it makes you feel good. At its best, the acoustic-driven atmospheric songs fly in the same patterns as Doves. - Boston's Weely Dig

"Reaches for the heights and poignancy of sensitive Brit Rock stadium balladeers like Coldplay or Embrace. But there’s more depth than such comparisons suggest on a record that ranges from bombast to lilting, folkier fair."
--by Luke Oneil
- The Boston Metro

Brooklyn based indie-rock melody makers the Break Mission are set to capitalize on their self-released, heart-string-tugging 2007 album, As Much Light As It Will Take, with a new record slated for February. Titled, The Prospect, this four-track EP seeks to re-establish the band's penchant for soothing, piano-laden ballads and moody pop-rock foreplay.

Founding members Jeff Knowlton (piano, guitar, vocals) and Matt Hershey (drums, percussion) have slimmed down the lineup to a trio, as newcomer Ben Lindell takes over bass duties in the wake of departing members Dave Murray and Bill Wathen. However, EP-opener, "The Prospect," dismisses any notion of the band slowing down with its new lineup as Knowlton's breathy vocals and slow-burning acoustic guitar chords build steadily towards a crash of emphatic drums and bass lines. Look for the The Prospect EP to be released on iTunes in early February with future tour dates listed on their website.
- CMJ.com