(2023) Flyying Colours - You Never Know

Review:
Melbourne shoegazers Flyying Colours, released their third studio album, You Never Know, via Poison City / Club AC30. Last year, Flyying Colours reissued their first two EPs, both previously long out of print, as one self-titled LP. The compilation brought together the band’s 2013 self-titled EP, as well as ‘ROYGBIV’, which was released in 2015. The follow-up to 2021’s Fantasy Country is recorded over a two-week period in the summer of 2021, with an intent to capture a moment in time with recurring themes and sounds. The brief passing of our lives seems to stare us in the mirror during difficult times. It is this sort of introspection that shades facets of this beautiful record. Right out of the gate, we have the staggering first single ‘Goodbye to Music’, which guitarist/vocalist Brodie J Brummer says is about hearing loss. “For a period of time I became obsessed with how I had neglected my ears over many years of touring, rehearsing, mixing and recording, and I constantly contemplated what it would be like to say goodbye to music. Writing this song was a way for me to accept that what is done, is done, and to manage my own guilt spiral.” This heartfelt sentiment seems right for the times. A more traditional jangle pop piece is the lilting beauty of ‘Modern Dreams’. It reveals one of the many strengths of this band, which is their penchant for insanely catchy, top shelf melodies. This song has a slight melancholic bent, and oh gosh, the string parts (could be synths too) just are icing on the cake. Following that is the stellar pop of ‘Never Forget’, which leans towards the timeless Flying Nun sound favoured by Kiwi stalwarts The Bats. While it has a traditional song construct, it is a siren song to these ears. ‘Lost Then Found’ is a bit like earlier works, yet it simmers at its molten pop heart and explodes into spaced out bliss. ‘Long Distance’ is shimmering dreamgaze with a massive wall of guitar, and alternates between hazy interludes and sonic punches to your ears. ‘I Live In a Small Town’ percolates along sweetly and drifts into the stupendous ‘Do You Feel the Same’, with its woozy backdrop in concert with some nicely rendered vocals. The bass and drums on this are killing it and elevate it to 11. In essence, this is another terrific offering in the Flyying Colours catalog that is sure to delight their fans and any newcomers to these genres. — echoesanddust.com

Track List:
01 - Lost Then Found
02 - Long Distance
03 - I Live in a Small Town
04 - Do You Feel the Same
05 - Oh
06 - Bright Lights
07 - Hit the Road
08 - Goodbye to Music
09 - Modern Dreams
10 - Never Forget


Media Report:
Genre: indie-rock, shoegaze
Country: Melbourne, Australia
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)


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