Organic funk and topical conceptualisation join forces throughout this genre-blending new project from an aptly-named Color School.
Far from their first release, but creative enough in its own right to ignite a sense of originality and freshness that both engages and provokes thought.
Featuring quirky indie vocals for a Bowie-style hook, and rap verses to mix things up along the way, the opening track and single Joint Sessions lays bare the underlying intentions of the project with style and boldness.
Fearlessly honest, entertaining and melodic – an anthem, no less, for the modern mind otherwise consumed by the industries of our time. Great songwriting, laid-back yet effective – the perfect way to start up One City One-Love.
These Walls follows, and we’re into the meat of the journey now – the style set in stone, the melodies and lyrics new, poetic, intriguing and reflective. The intensity builds throughout, and meanwhile we get likeable guitar solos, well-placed vocal layers, and a faultlessly rhythmic and smartly crafted rap outpouring.
Changing gears slightly is the acoustic guitar strum of Static Line, a gentler and seemingly more personal song – perfectly included as the mid-track offering. The poetry again connects on a profound level, and while there’s a slightly raw, home-made vibe to the arrangement, this simply furthers the authenticity, the identity, of the Color School sound. The songwriting and ideas stand tall regardless, perhaps all the more so thanks to this realness and that natural live sound.
Addictive rhythms vocally and in the guitar set-up lure us into a personal and Blur-like indie rock anthem of mellow and angsty, uncertain origins as Hinges slowly washes over.
Then we get the uplift and catchy groove of If I to close things down with a bang – stylish, funky, infectious, smooth and musically immersive. Great vocals, quietly confident, short lines that hold close to your attention and inspire a sense of possibility and overcoming in the face of struggle. Inspiring as ever, another song wonderfully in tune with its own purpose.
Gifting listeners the perfect indie ambiances to escape into, and a series of contemplative moments of depth should they choose to listen a little more closely, One City One-Love makes for a sublime collection – urging you yet again to seek out a live performance from Color School at the earliest possibility. Undoubtedly one worth revisiting a few times over.
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