Special Vinyl Edition of J. Breckenridge's New Album MONOTONY Out Today

RED CARD RECORDS has announced that Monotony - the debut album of all-original music from J. BRECKENRIDGE, the singer/songwriter and recording artist persona of noted stage and screen performer Josh Breckenridge - is available on a special vinyl edition starting today, Friday, July 9. The album is also available on digital and streaming platforms. Monotony is produced by Grammy Award nominee James Frazee (Patti Smith, Esperanza Spalding, Bettye Lavette). Breckenridge is known for his standout roles on Broadway and appearances on hit TV shows "The Blacklist" (CBS), "Blue Bloods" (NBC), and "FBI" (CBS). He will be part of the Apple Original Films live capture of the Tony Award-winning international hit musical Come from Away and will rejoin the cast when it returns to Broadway on September 21. Listen to Monotony now on Apple Music, Spotify or Amazon. Order the vinyl edition at J-Breckenridge.com.

Monotony - which seamlessly blends old-school soul and contemporary retro-pop with R&B and jazz influences - opens with the haunting and mystical title track that appropriately sets the mood for an album created in quarantine. Breckenridge reflects, "For many of us, living through the pandemic was like running on a hamster wheel, but one that eventually set the scene for our long-awaited liberation from solitude." The song's rock and psychedelic influences bring out the universality and relevance of its message.

Other album highlights include "Go," a playful, melodic, and ultimately hopeful exploration of the tug of war of anxiety and just getting through the day; "Hush," a delicate break-up ballad that sensitively laments an interrupted relationship; and "Child's Play," a free and funky return to adolescent joy that features four of Breckenridge's nieces and nephews, ages 5 to 13.

The album concludes with the shimmering harmonies and striking guitar arrangement of "That's the Beauty." This lazy lullaby uses a beloved pet napping peacefully as an allegory for people learning to "just be." Breckenridge says, "there can be real beauty in simply standing still and succumbing to the silence."

Breckenridge's passionate original songs - with their taut, expressive arrangements, emotional delivery, and fresh yet familiar melodies - call to mind influences as wide-ranging as the classic R&B of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson to the current sounds of Bruno Mars, Michael Bublé, and John Legend. Sometimes mellow, often rhythmic, Breckenridge's music is always intelligent, sophisticated, and personal.

Throughout the spring of 2021, Breckenridge released a string of successful singles with widely-viewed music videos. "Come to Me," which debuted in February, is an homage to his southern California roots with an open-hearted, feel-good vibe and an irresistible hook. "Y.O.U." - the follow-up single released in March - is an introspective, lilting midtempo number that addresses complicated feelings of self-responsibility and self-love with humor and finesse. The third release, "Home Is Where the Art Is," is a ballad with bittersweet lyrics, and a lush string arrangement that ruefully reflects on the roads taken and not taken. "Not Forgiving You," released in May, is a deceptively lighthearted modern pop song with an infusion of vintage doo wop. But the number is really a way to reclaim the feelings of pain and shame from a past abusive relationship.

Breckenridge's time in a budding high school boy band gave him his first taste of songwriting. While the band itself didn't last, he has since honed his skills and is building a catalog of well-crafted lyrics and memorable melodies. Though he credits Lauryn Hill, Brian McKnight, and D'Angelo as inspirations, it was actually Mariah Carey that first brought out the emerging songwriter in him. "Mariah was my all-time favorite growing up, and she influenced me as a composer and lyricist. Her hits seemed endless, as well as endlessly hummable. It was the first time I thought 'I can do that!' I remember being a pre-pubescent boy belting out whistle tones to her music with a towel on my head and a toothbrush for a microphone!"

A Southern California native, Josh Breckenridge left the warmth of the west coast to earn a BFA from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, where he received the Laurie Beechman Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Vocal Performance." Upon graduation Josh traveled further east to New York City to pursue his passion for performing. After three short months, Breckenridge made his Broadway debut and has since enjoyed a colorfully consistent career as an actor-singer-dancer on Broadway, film and television. On Broadway, he appeared in the revival of Terrence McNally's play The Ritz at Studio 54, Kander & Ebb's Tony Award-nominated musical The Scottsboro Boys, and Come from Away. He was also featured in the San Francisco debut of the stage musical Tales of the City, based on Armistead Maupin's beloved series of novels, with a score co-written by Jake Shears of The Scissor Sisters. Throughout his career, Breckenridge has worked alongside legendary cultural talents like Trey Parker & Matt Stone, Huey Lewis, and David Bryan of Bon Jovi.

"My artist persona J. Breckenridge is a piece of my personality that has finally had time to surface," he explains. "During the pandemic, all the excuses dropped away. I've been lucky enough to have a busy Broadway and TV schedule. The one positive element of this temporary industry shutdown is that it allowed me the space to perfect these new songs. This time alone has been an important period of contemplation and I've been at my most emotionally available. It's been perfect for harnessing the multitude of feelings, the vastly different shades and colors of emotions this original material evokes."

"As a musical theater actor," Breckenridge continues, "I've been fortunate to perform someone else's music and someone else's lyrics on large stages, and I am grateful for those opportunities. But I have my own stories to tell. This music is just the beginning. I feel blessed and happy to have this chance to share it."

For updates, please follow J. BRECKENRIDGE at facebook.com/Jbreckenridgemusic and instagram.com/j.breckenridge.music. His website is j-breckenridge.com.