According to The Sick-Leaves mastermind, Eksteen Jacobsz, Breaking Away might be the last TSL album for a while. If this is merely a “see you later” or a final goodbye, Eksteen can walk away with his head held high after this release. Compared to The Last Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Breaking Away turns up the oomph factor considerably, yet keeps up with the trend of shorter, catchier songs introduced on the 2010 LP. Refraining from overindulging in too much lead guitar (we all know he can shred), Eksteen had the confidence to let his songwriting do the main talking amid the Brit pop-rock-influenced compositions; I Know Your Name and Fanning the Flames, in particular, serve reminders that you don’t need to annihilate every fret on your guitar to create quality rock ‘n’ roll songs. Flowing superbly and effortlessly, Breaking Away is an easily accessible album that you can pick up and get into immediately. It might be The Sick-Leaves’ most uncomplicated effort, but it’s also their best to date; here’s hoping it isn’t their last. 4/5
