SINGLE REVIEW: Franklin Jonas and the Byzantines - “Break The Levee”

Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt

Franklin Jonas and the Byzantines' newest single “Break The Levee” feels like gratitude in motion. In announcing the track he shared that it is a song about loving no matter what the outcome, and that intention pours through every second of it. There is warmth in the message and light in the delivery. It feels like someone finally letting the sun hit their skin after years spent in the shade.

The song opens with gentle country leaning guitar and a soft banjo line that wraps the listener in an easy kind of hope. As the instruments settle in, Franklin introduces the emotional heart of the song through its first lyrics.

“Heart like stone, my homes got good strong bones. You better use them on me baby, use 'em up before they're gone. When we're back, we can laugh 'bout all the drowning.”

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The production and the lyrics work together to create a picture of someone who has survived the hard parts and rebuilt with stronger foundations. The drowning he once feared becomes something he can look back on, because he is no longer afraid of letting the emotional flood in. He is choosing to love fully, even if it hurts, even if it gets messy, even if it does not work out.

Compared to the introspective heaviness of “Road Soda” and “Village Liquors,” this track carries a completely different energy. It leans into optimism, clarity, and the ability to open up instead of shutting down.

Then the chorus arrives, bold and unfiltered.

“If you love me, love me all the way If you hate me, baby that's okay Just don’t forget me, don’t forget me darling Cause I’m riding on your every wave You won’t break me with an old heartbreak Just break the levee, break the levee on me”

This is the heart of the message. Loving without expectation. Loving without guarantees. Showing up fully and letting the emotional flood rush in anyway. It is vulnerable and confident at the same time. It is the sound of someone who has grown into themselves.

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And the chant that follows drives it home.

“Break it, break it, break it, break it on me.”

It feels like surrender. It feels like trust. It feels like choosing love even when the outcome is unknown. It is the moment he stops resisting and lets everything in.

“Break The Levee” makes you want to dance in the sunlight with someone who really sees you. It feels like realizing your purpose or your person for the first time and being grateful you made it to this moment. It shows Franklin stepping into a more hopeful version of himself while staying true to his indie country sound.

This is Franklin choosing love.

This is Franklin choosing openness.

This is Franklin choosing life even when he cannot predict where it goes.

And it might be his most heartfelt release yet.