#FeatureFriday Restart Game by we broke the weather

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Restart Game by we broke the weather

“Two years after releasing their self-titled debut album, Boston “garage prog” five-piece we broke the weather sit in a place far above what they imagined when they began jamming in a basement as strangers with no musical agenda in 2018. Critics and fans alike have praised the band for their bold fusion of disparate genres and influences – progressive rock, jazz fusion, psych rock, math rock, stoner rock, doom metal, and beyond – and while few seem to know how to actually categorize them, they agree that wbtw are onto something special.”

On We Broke the Weather’s Bandcamp page the band describes themselves as ‘Fuzzed out Garage Prog’ which is as intriguing as it is deserving of a ‘WTF?!’ reaction. I mean the two concepts seem as conceptually opposed towards each other as possible. Prog-rock being quite the experimental genre that favours a clean sound to bring it all to life and Garage Rock which is basically the progenitor of what came to be Punkrock.

That said, I think they’re pretty much on point with this descriptor. And that’s for the simple reason that ‘Garage’ in this instance doesn’t mean that the band here isn’t technically proficient or has a messy playing style. None of these apply to We Broke the Weather. Where I think the Garage-feel comes into play here is that the record has that slight dirty edge to the sound and everything tends to be played more loosely as opposed to strictly locked to the metronome. And it’s these things that stops them from falling into the trappings that many (especially) modern prog records have fallen into where they just sound way too damn perfect.

And by that I don’t mean to imply they fail at the progressive part of Prog, just that it all feels so much more organic here. There is no shortage of spacey sounds here and there’s still plenty of attention to detail when it comes to the more atmospheric soundscapes. And those atmospheric sounds also fall into this more organic sphere as they don’t always rely on synths for that but also employ some non-electronic instrumentation such as flutes and such. And no matter what this always results in the most sprawling and atmospheric of instrumental passages.

So all in all it definitely feels sufficiently proggy to deserve the prog moniker, it’s just proggy without the pretension and has a more grounded feel both in production approach as well as in general attitude. You really just get the impression that they’re a bunch of passionate prog-nerds making the music they love. They just do it within their means hence that healthy dose of garage-attitude.

Eveyweveydevey

First off, I love the recording of this album. The sonic tapestry going on here is pure 70s rock alchemy. It breathes that era. It’s almost art in itself in how it represents the timbre of that eras recording  aesthetic. It’s almost like an extra instrument. I adore that. It gives this album a real boost. The arrangements are on another level, the variety in instruments, the virtuosity, the tasteful nuances.

It’s like a journey through genre, it’s got this real prog rock bones but swerves into doom and almost becomes punk/hardcore. Fuck man, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly but it’s good shit. Damn good shit. I was hooked by track one, Vestige, fact is, I kept replaying that track because it fascinated me.

All the elements, genres, ideas and motifs swirl around your mind. If you are into prog rock you will be deeply thrilled. As a fan of the avant garde you will also dig this. It spans decades like a career band. In places I hear Pink Floyd and Rush, in others I hear Split Enz and Goblin, Then it’s all King Crimson and Black Sabbath fighting in a pub beer garden.

And that’s just the first track, do yourself a flavor and put Vestige on, play it to death and proceed, Thank us later.

Atmospheric, Cinematic, Dramatic, Epic, Authentic and Ecstatic, what an album, thanks Evey you legend this was an excellent choice!

Untidy Music

I don’t believe, I’ve heard an album with a sound quite like this one. Each song feels like a amalgam of several wildly different styles of music; something that reminds me of pioneers in the progressive Rock genre, like Rush, Yes or Deep Purple. The further the album progresses, the band seemed to bring a little more Dream Theater or Symphony X into their sound. What makes we broke the weather stand out, however, is that they incorporated more unusual elements into their tracks, like early 2000s alternative Metal or Ska.

Trying to describe the twists and turns in Prog of any kind, feels like an impossible task on the best of days, so I’m not even going to try. However, the instrumentalists and the lead vocalist show a great deal of ability; moving fluidly with the highly dynamic movement of the arrangement without skipping a beat or letting the songs run away from them. In a similar way, the mix is perfectly fitting for this style; every element is clearly audible and effects are used liberally, but never get in the way of the sound.

Overall, I really enjoyed this album, even after several full playthroughs. This is music where I can not follow the lyrics, no matter how hard I try. Instead, I’ll plop on my headphones, sit on the couch and feel the ever-changing and evolving groove. I think if someone is a fan of Prog, they will not be disappointed by this. I absolutely recommend giving it a fair shot!

Florgoth

Updated: June 5, 2026 — 4:41 am

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