By: Kimia Mansouri, SFU Student
The four-piece indie rock band, Colour Tongues, preemptively celebrated the May 19 release of their album, Midnight Island, with a live show at Fox Cabaret on May 11. Based out of Vancouver, the band consists of James Challis (lead singer and guitarist), Dan Lavergne (bass player), David Taylor (drummer), and Graeme Meekison (lead guitarist). The band got together in 2017 and released their EP, Almost East, in 2018. Since then, they have performed all over Canada.
Listening to Colour Tongues is like an immersive experience where you can feel the beats and the pop melody. The rhythm helps you escape your earthly troubles for a few minutes. Their music reminds me of bands like The Night Cafe, my bloody valentine, and Rare Monk. Colour Tongues is indie rock meeting dream pop, so there is a fair amount of reverb on the guitars but great clarity when it comes to the guitar solos. The sonics overtake the lyrics, so whether you’re listening to them live in a venue or through your earbuds at your desk, you feel compelled to move your body to the sounds.
You can expect catchy tunes, great melodies, and an early 2000s dream-pop theme from Midnight Island. The instrumentals overshadow the lyrics to a point where it can be difficult to know what the singer is saying if you don’t already know the lyrics. Their full-house show at the Fox Cabaret was an interactive and groovy experience for people who are ready to move their bodies to a wall of music. The high energy stage presence of the members was matched by equally electric energy from the audience. Amidst the audience, I couldn’t help but bop my head to their music which radiated fiery rock ’n’ roll spirit.
Produced by Matt Di Pomponio, Midnight Island, which has been three years in the making, is a seven-track album about the stages of relationships; first love attempts to save the relationship, heartbreak, and self-reflection. The title of the song with the same name as the album is inspired by “the fear of wanting to fall for someone only to be [weakened] by the doubt of truly giving yourself over to them.” The album speaks to the youth in us and reminds us of the possibilities ahead.
“By the end of the album, we want you to feel like you did before the world got too big, and to recognize that you can get back there,” said Challis in the press release.
One more interesting thing about this album is the cover, which was inspired by the 90s video game, Metroid. Growing up, Challis and his friends thought the powerful hero of the game was a man but was later revealed to be a woman. The album artwork reveals feminine facial features in colourful gradients.
While you’re listening to Midnight Island on streaming platforms, the band is preparing for a tour in Ontario starting on May 24 in Toronto, followed by stops in Hamilton, Guelph, Kingston, and Oshawa.
