A breakdown must drop energy to a genuine low so the following build has real contrast

After a peak, releasing to a genuine low (a breakdown at energy at or below 0.4) resets the contrast baseline so the next build can cover real ground. A breakdown that stays around 0.6 reads as the energy sagging rather than resetting — the arc has not resolved, only deflated. The release must go far enough that the tension of the next phrase becomes meaningful; a shallow release blunts everything that follows it.

Examples

After a drop at energy 1.0, a breakdown that only reaches 0.6 leaves the audience at a sustained medium-high and blunts the next build. Dropping to around 0.3 — perhaps a single kick and a drone — creates a genuine low from which the next build feels like a journey.

Assessment

Why is a breakdown that stays at 0.6 insufficient? What does a breakdown that fails to fully release prevent in the following build?