Body Breaks is the microtonal rock duo of Matt LeGroulx and Julie Reich. From their homes in Montreal and Toronto, respectively, the DIY lifers behind projects like Bile Sister, EXPWY, and Galaxius Mons have developed idiosyncratic approaches to bedroom recording that culminate on their collaborative debut. LeGroulx composed the music for Bad Trouble, recording guitar, bass, and drums in tunings that stand in stark contrast to traditional Western consonance. Reich completed their songs with her spellbinding vocals, weaving vulnerable themes of aging as a woman and artist, environmental devastation, and feeling like an outsider in her own generation.

Fans of rock music in unusual tunings can trace a direct line from the Velvet Underground to Glenn Brancas influence on Sonic Youth to Horse Lords refretted instruments. Body Breaks can now be added to this exploratory lineage, yet the duo also harken back to the slacker sound of Pavement, Os Mutantes fuzz, and Palbertas ramshackle approach to pop. On headphones, LeGroulxs stereo-panned riffs ping pong from left to right, while his sparse but relentless drumming thumps away like a motorik Moe Tucker.