Concert Review: Mouth Breather @ Casa del Popolo, April 7, 2018

The musical style of Owen Hopper, a.k.a Mouth Breather, is one that cannot be easily defined but it does make people want to dance. Hooper produces the majority of his songs, mixing the beats, creating the melodies, and layering the vocals. He describes his sound as a mesh of all the art that he consumes and simply makes it his own.

The set began with a low hum being played from Hooper M-Audio KeyRig 25 MIDI Controller. This slowly leads into the first song, “Extra”. While the crowd was still warming up, Hooper went into full swing dancing along with the easy beat of the song. Despite saying he’s a “horrible dancer,” it sure looked like he was enjoying himself on stage, creating a relaxed and comfortable vibe in the audience.

In short moments between songs, Hooper took the time to address the audience, thanking them for coming to the show, telling them funny anecdotes or simply playing a guessing game of what song would be played next. This is what I found interesting about the show. On Spotify, Mouth Breather is distinguished as a songwriter/performer, and I can definitely see why.

“Westworld”, one of Hooper’s singles that released at the beginning of the year and a hit among his fans, was performed after his song “Boyfriend”. The EDM hit got the crowd moving with its repetitive deep beat and undercurrents of synths. Hooper says that the song is a hommage to EDM artists.

The show continued as he performed “Cinema” and “Oh What a World” before ending the set with his hit song “Shrug”. “Shrug” garnered radio play across Canada and the US. Its old school R&B feel combined with an indie twist was a delight to hear performed live. It’s a song that you can’t help but dance to. Hooper creates a comfortable atmosphere and connects with his audience wanting them to feel included in his shows. I think there are some artists that could learn from him. I can't wait to see what he does next.