New Release: Things Breakdown by Billy Traynor and The Next 5 Miles

It's Coming! April 1 2025. Things Breakdown, 10 new original songs recorded in Lawrence Mass with The Next 5 Miles, our little band of brothers from the "Immigrant City".

Things break down when we are inattentive. We are currently living in an era of disintegration. The recent past feels ancient, the present is fragile, and the future appears like a tunnel with no light at the end. Because money and power will fight hard and often violently to reshape the world in their image, we are left wondering about what lies just around the corner. Yet, in times of upheaval, human beings have a way of growing into the widening liminal spaces that emerge, allowing us to propel this planet in both wonderful and strange directions. We must hold onto our ability to love, manage our desires, and cultivate a spirit of generosity and curiosity. Finding new ways to express and share our love for each other and the world is vital.

"Things Breakdown" follows the journey of dissolution across a series of tracks that reflect on how our culture has unraveled: from the stories we accept from childhood ("Grew Up Believing"), to the insatiable hunger for meaning that capitalism instills in us ("No Peace"), and the fractured relationship between global capitalism and liberalism ("Mourning Song"). Ultimately, the album encourages us to pause, reflect, and appreciate the beauty and wonders that surround us daily ("I Late and Thrown Together," "Magic Thing," "Rockstar Next to You").

I am deeply appreciative of the men with whom I had the opportunity to create this record. Nate Hendrie, Abdiel Perez, Eddie Rosa, Gary Sidell and Nick Vandenberg. They are all good friends and exceptional musicians, and they are integral to a movement for community change that has been developing in the City of Lawrence for several decades. You can learn more about them on the N5M page!