Wielding the blissed-out torch of hazy 60’s pop blended with gritty garage rock, Chicago’s Secret Colours fan the flames of their burgeoning career with the release of EP 3, a follow-up to last year’s self-titled LP. Though the five-song EP is unadulterated proof of the Colours’ fuzzy newgaze chops, it provides an unbalanced taste of their signature sound, yearning for the full album treatment.
“Faust” pulses with tension, the song’s four minutes unleashing the Colours’ psych-spaced-out harmonies that cleverly explode into a striking bastardization of rockabilly-inspired bass throb and humming, tight guitars. The CoS-premiered video for the track capitalizes on the band’s feisty sound, mirroring the track with a liquor store holdup gone awry. The garage-psychedelic swagger of the band flows throughout “Legend of Love”, conjuring images of oil-projected, hippie-dancing shows tossed into a 2011 venue. Lead singer Tommy Evans’ apathetic, echoey vocals add a swell blur to the blissed-out strong point of the EP.
“Tender Pretender” and “Carry My Soul” trudge along on the same beat, the latter exploring a folkier, acoustic style that channels some of The Zombies’ similar 50-year-old tracks. At this juncture on EP 3, it’s apparent that the Colours shine on long players, as the EP format simply doesn’t allow their heady songs to unfurl appropriately. The seamless drone that lets the listener flow through their self-titled with ease is truncated and slowed to a steady pace with the acoustic tracks, though they’re not bad efforts. EP 3 only whets the appetite for their forthcoming second album, hopefully due sooner rather than later.
Spacey “Sunny Afternoon” closes the EP with warm backing keys and Evans’ croon. The finishing track reiterates that EP 3 is simple: a powerful burst that ignites like a roman candle and fades to simmering bits in the afterimage. A hearty dose of gleefully light-headed, post-drug retro rock haze, EP 3 is not one to be missed – neither is the band.
Essential Tracks: “Faust” and “Carry My Soul”
