Unpacking The Color Blew’s Sound & New Single ‘Discount Hearts’
‘Discount Hearts’ will be available from 5 July
Unpacking The Color Blew’s Sound & New Single ‘Discount Hearts’ –SA Music & Entertainment Magazine is thrilled to bring you a new interview with The Color Blew, a band that has been in the South African indie alternative rock scene since 2014. Known for their rich blend of grunge, punk, and African rhythms, The Color Blew has consistently pushed musical boundaries.
Their latest single, ‘Discount Hearts’ will be available from 5 July on all platforms. Let’s delve into their creative process, career highlights, and what the future holds for this dynamic quartet…
All things Blew…
Q: The Color Blew has a distinctive sound that sets you apart from other bands. How did your diverse musical backgrounds contribute to the formation of this unique style?
The Color Blew (Timothy Lotter): Being that we have such a diverse blend of musical influences we naturally incorporate different aspects of different genres when writing but always maintain our core sound when playing any style.
Q: Your new single ‘Discount Hearts’ is about self-worth and emotional compromise. Can you share the story behind the lyrics and what inspired this track?
The Color Blew (Liaan Horton): Most of our songs, especially the new music, are all based on moments. The specific moment that relates to this song is a rush of emotion fueled by the backbeat. What it made me feel while in the studio with the band playing it. Being dangerous, exciting and sad all at once. It had to be a song and it had to be this song. Like a movie I saw in my head in a split second. I saw it flash by and tried to hang on to the words.
Q: Over the years, you’ve released several acclaimed albums. How do you feel your music and lyrical themes have evolved from your debut album ‘The Canvas’ to your latest work?
The Color Blew (Liaan Horton): I think as people we grew and changed, that is the natural order of things and as such you stagnate or evolve … we don’t like stagnation and we like reading the next chapter. Every song is a time capsule of a specific moment it was meant to capture. That is the order of things.
Q: Your band has a reputation for being deeply reflective and authentic. How do you maintain this authenticity in an industry that often prioritizes commercial success?
The Color Blew (Timothy Lotter): Recently we have put sincerity at the forefront of our music and gone in a simpler, more emotionally heavy direction. Placing more emphasis on the songs rather than just the sum of their parts.
Q: Liaan, as producer, recording engineer, and the artwork for ‘Discount Hearts’ how do you manage multiple roles? How do you ensure the band’s vision is being realized?
The Color Blew (Liaan Horton): I just focus on doing one thing at a time now and that seems to work. When we jam and rehearse I focus on being a musician in The Color Blew. When I record and mix, I try and remove that aspect and focus on the song. I do it from an external perspective to gain better insight. It isn’t always easy but it work for us. It makes my heart beat faster! I love that I can contribute to the tapestry in a meaningful way.
Q: The Color Blew is known for powerful live performances. How do you translate the energy and emotion from the studio recordings to the stage?
The Color Blew (Timothy Lotter): We like to strike a balance between rehearsed execution and spontaneous chaos when playing live, so performing the songs as perfectly as possible but also engaging the crowd and giving them a show that they’ll never forget!
The Color Blew (Marius Cronje): We believe in giving everything we’ve got to not only the audience, but ourselves as well. We believe that if we give everything, the audience will too. That creates a tangible energy that flows between our audience and the band when performing.
Q: Your previous single ‘Love in Space’ was a significant release for you in 2023. What was the inspiration behind this song, and how was it received by your fans?
The Color Blew (Liaan Horton): It was really the catalyst for the new era of the band. The song and the whole way we approached it. From writing to release, we really focused on a new way of doing things. All these singles are really a new lease on life for us. ‘Love in Space’ was extremely well received. It is still doing incredibly well, also an absolute favourite to play live.
The Color Blew (Timothy Lotter): ‘Love In Space’ was another song that evolved out of jamming together and exploring new sounds and styles whilst still try to maintain our core sound and I think gave listeners more of a glimpse into our evolution and emphasis on writing songs that stay in your head.
Q: The music scene is an ever-evolving landscape. How do you traverse these perpetual changes?
The Color Blew (Timothy Lotter): By making as much use as possible of every medium that we have access to such as the social media platforms available and emphasising short form content.
The Color Blew (Liaan Horton): As Tim says we approach it from as many angles as possible and try and colour outside the usual lines
Q: What can fans expect with ‘Discount Hearts’ in terms of musical direction and themes in your upcoming projects?
The Color Blew (Liaan Horton): ‘Discount Hearts’ is the second part in the story following on from ‘Love in Space’ … without letting it all out of the bag, expect part three later this year …
The Color Blew (Timothy Lotter): ‘Discount Hearts’ is only a glimpse into the band’s evolution and fans can expect rawer, hard hitting, deeper, darker and more intense music going forward.
Q: Looking further ahead, what are The Color Blew’s goals next in terms of music and broader artistic aspirations?
The Color Blew (Liaan Horton): We are laser focused on releasing music and content regularly over the next couple of years, the world of music has changed and us along with it I would like to think. I want us to connect in ways not possible before with our audience. We invite them into our lives to share the creation process more openly. That is the goal for me in future.
The Color Blew (Timothy Lotter): We will be releasing a music video for ‘Discount Hearts’ and expect to release two more singles before the year is out!
Thank you, The Color Blew, for sharing your insights and journey with us. We look forward to rocking ‘Discount Hearts’ and all the exciting projects you have in store.
Stream the new single this Friday!
To our readers, make sure to follow The Color Blew on their social media channels and stream their new single from 5 July HERE
