I have been in the trenches of London dating for 11 years. Like any good solider, I do tours of duty – heading onto the battlefield in full protective gear, trying out the apps and events and even trying to project ‘approach me vibes’ for this thing I’ve been told about called ‘approaching someone in person’. Every single tour has ended the same way, with me returning more wounded and jaded. Essentially I have become the dating equivalent of that trope of the world-weary colonel – sat in the corner, patched up and scratched up, endlessly smoking cigarettes as I relay how I’ve seen horrors you wouldn’t believe (yes, that is an Apocalypse Now reference, I’m cultured and classy like that). Sometimes I forget just why I keep trying, so I sit it out for a while, then something happens to give me hope to propel me back for another go. (It’s hope or madness, I’m undecided as of yet…)

It makes sense that at least one of my Project 52 adventures involves dating, and a new dating app at that feels like something of a novelty. Particularly one that does feel a bit different to the now-homogenous unholy trinity of Tinder, Bumble and Hinge. (I’m writing this part of the post pre-date, I’ll be fascinated to see if/how my tone changes in the post-date section)

Breeze proudly declares itself ‘is the dating app without a chat function’, a fact that is both true and compelling. Any frequent users of the aforementioned banes of my existence (‘the apps’ to be more polite) will have become bone-tired with the ‘talking stage’ that occurs. For the uninitiated, on most apps, once you have matched there will be a degree of talking before committing to a date. The ‘talking stage’ isn’t an automatic predecessor to a date, many matches will in fact not make it beyond an exchange of ‘Hey! How was your day?’ Then, if you eventually do decide that you both want to meet, we have the risk of not being able to meet for a while – which can result in a weird limbo as you try to maintain momentum and interest. It’s a danger zone of messaging and wasted time & energy that is rarely anything other than interminable.

With Breeze, you cannot message your date prior to a two hour window around the appointed time if your date – although there is the function to postpone/cancel your date if needed. It means I’m going into this date with no intel beyond the detailed bio. And my gods is that liberating! I’ve got some initial starting points for conversation courtesy of the bio, but the rest is there to be discovered. I’ve got no idea what T sounds like, his messaging style or tone – we are going into this date as literal strangers.

We matched on my first day using the app, when his profile came up at the 7pm drop of profiles that is another of the apps USPs. Every night at 7pm you will be shown a few profiles, usually no more than 10, for you to take your chance on. That’s it. No seemingly endless swiping of the apps, a few minutes consideration when you log on and then you’re done – which feels so much healthier than the hypermarket of seeming endless choice of the other apps. The match preferences aren’t hidden behind a paywall, unlike other apps, and you can also select a matching pool according to what you’re looking for – from the more casual to the more serious.

Another difference is that a ‘like’ here has more currency in that when you ‘like’ you’re also saying ‘yes, let’s go on a date’. If the other person feels the same about you, you pay a drinks token (£9.50 for 1, or £21 for 3) which is essentially a deposit for your date. It means your first drink when you arrive at the date venue is already paid for when you arrive, saving awkward conversations over who is getting first round – plus once you’ve finished that drink you could always use it as an easy ‘well that was nice, but I’m going to go now’ exit pass if needed.

When you’ve both ‘paid’ your drinks token, you’re then shown a calendar of upcoming dates and times. You tick and cross your availability, your date does the same, then the app picks your first point of mutual availability and your date is booked. You don’t message each other at all, aside from if you need to change/postpone/cancel your date when you’re given the option to send a singular message using their proforma. There’s also a chat window open from two hours before the date to five hours after, but this is encouraged to only be used for emergencies only. Otherwise that is it. No swapping emails, no socials, no chat. If you cancel a date, you’re frozen out of the app for a week. The intent behind that, and the drinks token deposit, seems to be that this app is taking dating seriously with no option for the ghosting and standing-up that happens on the other apps. And, should that happen in some way, or the behaviour on the date is bad, there are genuine consequences where you are frozen or even banned from the app.

24 hours before the date you are told where you are meeting your date. For my date with T we were assigned Apples & Bears, a bar on Brick Lane. And, for my first ever Breeze date, it was a really nice introduction to the process. In stark contrast to every other app date I’ve ever been on, we’d literally spend 5 minutes (if that) on admin prior to the date, which makes the date feel far lower stakes and removes so much expectation from proceedings. There was liberation in going into a date knowing what he looked like, some key facts and some entry points for conversation – the rest was for us to discover in person.

We stayed at Apples & Pears for a couple of drinks, then headed for a walk and moved onto Shuffleboard for a couple more rounds before calling it a night – it was a school night for both of us after all! At the end of the date we agreed we’d like to see each other again, deciding to swap numbers via the app as it was both convenient and gave me a chance to properly try out the app. Post-date you’re given the option to rate your date, the venue, the app and if you’d like to swap numbers – which we’ve now done. A nice and Breezey time was had and I’d be open to a second date.

Breeze genuinely does feel like a fresh alternative to the other apps. Whilst the current most popular dating app in the UK, Hinge, claims to be ‘the dating app designed to be deleted’ – for the last couple of years it feels like the only reason you’d actually delete it is because of despair rather than meeting the love of your life. Breeze, with it’s slightly more curated approach, could definitely be a way forward.