An Editor’s Pick: In Color – We Are… EP

As the editor of IMR, I have been very lucky to spend day after day surrounded by amazing music from bands all around the world just looking for a big break. The talent out there overwhelms me regularly. How can these great musicians not be on the radio or on the charts? What is missing? In essence, that is one major reason why IMR exists.

In generations past, it was the small few that found success, either by good branding and packaging, pure luck or (God forbid) actual talent. That has changed drastically with the constant evolution of technology. It isn’t necessary for bands to have a huge record label in order to find success in today’s landscape. Today, with a laptop computer and a little hard work, bands can get out there and make huge impacts.

At IMR, we are passionate about getting these bands the respect and attention they deserve. One such band is a trio out of Orlando, Florida called In Color. I first found out about this band working on another publication and was sent the song “Dance Until You’re Dino Sore.” Don’t be fooled by the title of this song. This is power pop at a level that is rarely heard.

Opening with a muted guitar riff and followed by the rest of the band, the song grabs you from the first riff. The vocals are pleading as he begs to know what he has done wrong. A song about young love and how much he wants her back, the lyrics are actually a little darker than the music suggests. With the mind-blowing hook and great feel of this song, it could only have a happy ending.

Consisting of Evan Schulte, Brenden Raulerson and Kevin Ojea, In Color has put together an EP of five tracks, all of which are radio-friendly and better than most of what is played on the “New Rock” or Top 40 stations today. Each song is upbeat and hook heavy in a way that has the melodies rattling in your skull for days. The music is bigger than you would expect from a trio. The vocals are strong, both lead and background, and the musicianship is just right; not overwhelming or out of place. The backline sets a strong foundation with guitar work floating in and out throughout the EP.

There is a story to be told in these five tracks. “A call to arms…” is the opening line in the first track “Ra Ra Party,” a song about youth and the hopes that those moments we all look back on will last forever. This is a summer party song…something you would hear on the soundtrack of one of the American Pie movies. You can see the bonfire and the flowing kegs with every downbeat. “We’re young and we’re dumb and we’ve got time on our side…”

The middle three tracks, Where’s Your Feeling?,” “Dance Until You’re Dino Sore,” and “Sweet Tea” all have the same theme. Each calls out to this unknown lover. Mistakes have been made. He wants her back. He has taken to song to show how much he cares. On the surface of each of these tracks, you have upbeat, danceable power pop. But when you peel the onion, there is a pain here. He loves this girl and really wants her back.

With the fifth and final track “Should Have Seen It Coming,” we know how the story ends. Those moments that were supposed to last forever are now gone with the last days of summer. The pain comes to the surface a bit in this last track when he asks with the first words “Why did you do it?” You get the sense that he’ll live though. After all, we are talking about young love…and with four tracks about the same girl, either he won her back or got it out of his system.

In a very short period of time, In Color has come together to create some of the best stuff I’ve heard all year. Each track is one of those that you want to sing along to with the windows down on a sunny afternoon. They have something very special here and this is one writer who will be waiting (im)patiently to see what they come up with next as they mature both as individuals and as a band.

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