Colourway - Lost Voices, Found Selves EP

Colourway

Lost Voices, Found Selves EP
self-released; 2017

​3.9 out of 5

By Jamie Robash

Without revealing too much here about my life or writing myself too much into this review let me just say that I work in a place where music is played throughout the duration of my eight plus hours of slaving away there. It’s usually shit music. In fact it’s almost always shit music, like 99 percent of the time, just complete garbage that spans the past twenty years of American pop music at its absolute worst.

​However the worst part, for me at least, isn’t the music itself, I mean the music is quite catchy and fever inducing in its way that helps one to understand in retrospect why the state of America is in quite a shit state and has been for some time is because people who listen to these songs hold tight, not to the sugary changes and grooves but to the completely asinine and just god-awful lyrics. But it’s not those people I care about, it’s me, and being a writer I find myself constantly cringing at bad lyrics, even if the music is good. 

Okay enough about me and my lyrical erectile dysfunction. Let’s talk about Colourway, four Canadian lads who play instrumental math-rock. Their names and purposes are: Tyler Broydell on guitar, Bryan Radcliffe also on guitar, bassist Matthew Galbraith, Evan Smith behind the drum kit and Connory Ballantyne working the programming and synths. More specifically let’s deconstruct their latest LP the four-song, existentially leaning Lost Voices, Found Selves. 

Colourway is instrumental due to a couple of reasons. First off they couldn’t find a singer, which is probably the only reason I need to disclose to whomever is reading this but the reason I like is that Innisfil, Ontario, their town, needed a cool instrumental band. In fact every town should have at least one cool instrumental band. 

Beginning with the opening track “4th and Sloan” which teases you through it, if you are not yet privy to the fact there are no vocals with some pretty sick guitar and bass work which remains on focus throughout and helps you get lost in the melodies. Not to be left out are the drums, which honestly this is one of the best drummers I’ve had the pleasure to hear keep a beat on an instrumental track since Brendan Canty.

Following up is the sometimes hard hitting, sometimes soothing “Refractions” the instrumentation to me recalled the glorious Built to Spill. And the intimate, experimental leaning closer “A Fleeting Moment” adds a bit of color to Colourway’s sound. For anyone looking to get back to the roots of what music can be, sans vocals, Lost Voices, Found Selves speaks volumes.

Become A Fan

bandcamp

Tweet