The Technicolors were one of those bands that snuck in under my radar. I had heard of them simply because they're on 8123 record label, which was started by one of my favorite bands, The Maine (I've mentioned them just a couple of times). I didn't give them as much attention as I should have at the time, but I really began listening to them as I was preparing for the 8123 Fest earlier this year that I attended. They put on a great show, and I began really appreciating their music, especially their EP Sweat that they released last year. When I heard they were putting out an album this summer, I was very intrigued and waited with anticipation. The album definitely didn't disappoint.
It opens with "Neon Roses", which itself opens with a bright, overdriven guitar riff that leads into the kind of rock-alternative sound you'd expect from The Technicolors. It's organic and energetic, switching between the rock n' roll fueled verses and the spacey, almost psychedelic chorus. My favorite part is the bridge, where the band plays on your expectations, climbing up vocally until you expect it to go to a certain note, but then jumping even higher and playing with some cool harmonies that are quite unexpected. It's almost dissonant, but only because it feels different from the rest of the song in terms of pitch.
"Lilies for Lily" follows, and being one of the singles is one I got some more time to really enjoy. The song uses some great contrast, from the palm-muted guitar of the verses to the full blown strumming of the chorus, as well as the vocals shifting from a lower register to a higher one from the verses to the chorus. This one soars in its shifts, and definitely will keep you coming back for more and more.
"Fever Bomb" feels for the first few moments as if it's going to be a little more mellow and relaxed as the clean guitar picking guides you in. Within seconds, however, it completely smashes that with gritty guitars, crashing drums, and the lead singer almost yelling to be heard above the rest, creating a sense of urgency. The pre-chorus brings it back down a little, but only for a moment as the chorus continues the urgency, where the lead singer repeats "a little bit more love, a little bit more time, a little bit more touch". The bridge reintroduces the guitar line from the very beginning of the song, but only as a part of the build up into the frantic guitar solo that completely matches the tone of the song. The rock n' roll sound really comes through on this song, easily making it a stand out.
"Fall off the Moon" is interesting because they included a "remix" on the Sweat EP last summer, which I don't really consider a remix and more of an acoustic version. But having heard that version first makes me more inclined to like it better; however, this version of the song is still great. It finds the band dialing down the intensity and gritty sound for something a little more clean while still maintaining the same sound presence and immensity their other songs create. There are some synths that come out a bit stronger on this song than the rest of the album, which I think fit, given the moon/space nature of the song. I think this song really highlights the lead singer's vocals and range, where he goes from fairly low and almost gravely to utilizing his falsetto as he sings "to fall off the moon" in a way that's beautiful.
"Imposter" brings back the gritty sound, with the guitar part being extremely overdriven, reminding me a bit of grunge. There's some really cool moments on this song; the bridge, for example, includes a guitar solo that leads into this moment of just the vocals and rim hits on the drums and then back into another solo. They also utilize that same moment of vocals and drums before each chorus begins. The song doesn't let up for a moment, pushing the sound and energy up until the very last few seconds.
"Congratulations, You're a Doll" features this cool interplay of palm-muted guitar and the bass guitar for the intro, highlighting both without having one overtake the other. The song has a great groove to it, as well as some fantastic contrast. The verses are generally low key, leading into the bigger choruses that feature these few seconds of really distorted guitars and drums kicking it up to 10 before immediately coming right back down. The bridge is, again, a really cool point in the song; the lead singer does a little vocal solo, if you can call it that, just singing notes and no words attached, and the rest of the band joins in as he begins singing actual words that build and push and lead right back into another chorus.
"Valedictorian" pushes the tempo a little more, focusing on keeping a fast pace throughout the whole track. This one feels fairly straightforward in terms of being a rock n' roll song at it's core, featuring solos in multiple places. The vocals aren't as prominent as some of the other songs, giving this sing almost the same kind of vibe as an instrumental in terms of its purpose; showcasing the other members of the band.
"Motives" slows things down a little compared to the tempo of the last song, but uses these moments of dissonance in the pre-choruses to still let the intensity show. It's another example of the way in which The Technicolors utilize contrasting elements to create their sound.
"Sweat" was the title track from their EP last summer and was one of my favorites. The clean guitar combined with keyboard in the background (it sounded like a marimba, but I can't be quite sure), gives the song a very spacey feel to it. It's another one of the lower energy songs on the album, which fits well in terms of the contrast it provides from song to song. Just because it's lower energy, however, does not make it a sad song, which is not the direction that The Technicolors seem to go. Even on their slower songs, you definitely leave the experience feeling better than you did before.
"26 on a Tuesday" features a drum beat that just keeps chugging along, keeping the pulse of the song steady and constantly pushing you along with the guitars strumming along in a way that puts more focus on the chords themselves and not creating a wall of distorted strings. The whole song feels a bit more seperated in terms of the elements; they don't come together to make a huge sound, but rather they let each other be featured in different moments.
"Little Charmer" is another one of the singles that released before the album dropped, and gives a bit of a laid back feel throughout the song. It's chill, it's relaxed, and it feels right as the album is almost coming to a close. The featured whistle in the beginning and in other spots throughout is a nice touch that feels different for the group, and the harmonies on the chorus add a nice sense of depth that's very subtle.
"Metaphysical" doesn't let the album finish without a bang, however, and it's evident from the first moment the drums and vocals join the gritty guitar on the quick build into the chorus. This one gets your feet tapping and head nodding along as the band lets themselves go. My favorite part is the guitar part that starts about a minute and a half into the song; it's such a unique sound that it catches the attention of the listener with ease. The vocals showcase the range of the lead singer, letting him reveal the moments where he can get soft and quiet right alongside the times when he reaches and yells higher. The bridge sees the band jamming out one last time before building into the final chorus that finishes the album with the energy you would expect it to.
Overall, the album is a great release from the band. It has a lot of moments that lets the group really shine, and almost no moments where the formula they've created for themselves fails to work as best as it can.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended: Fever Bomb, Neon Roses, Congratulations You're a Doll, Sweat
Related: The Maine, U2, Beach Weather
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