PREMIERE: Colour & Shade Return With New Single 'Therapy'
Melbourne alternative rock outfit Colour & Shade are bringing some much needed therapy to the world this week with the release of their brand new single, 'Therapy'. Riddled with punchy riffs over a melodic chorus, the band's new track dives into the downfall of a doomed relationship.
I am absolutely loving this new sound from the boys! Every time I listen to 'Therapy', I kinda love it just that little bit more. While their 2019 self-titled debut provided a heavy-hitting introduction for the band, it definitely sounds like Colour & Shade have upped the ante here, almost taking inspiration from fellow Australians Hands Like Houses.
The band released their debut back in 2018, played a bunch of shows around the country and inbetween all that, even managed to reimagine a song from none other than 5 Seconds of Summer!
Colour & Shade are adamant in making a future name to scream for in the Australian music scene too, so we caught up with Tim, Mat and Zak to get up to speed on their new single 'Therapy', Zak's passion for music production and how they came to the decision to revive a 5SOS song...
G’day guys! Can you tell us a little more behind 'Therapy'?
Tim: 'Therapy' is about trying to work through a relationship problem and also not believing lies that people may have bullied you into believing throughout your life. Also the need to ask for help in these situations which is something everyone struggles with at some point in their life.
As much as you could mistake this song for another break up song, the core of the song is about trying to restore and heal a relationship in the best way possible, with help.
What message do you have for fans who are struggling through a relationship and/or going through a rough patch in their life?
Mat: The message that I really hope this song will communicate, is that it is okay to ask for help or even to get therapy if need be. Even though this song has been inspired from real life events (a failed marriage), regardless of your situation the above message still stands. Most of us in Colour & Shade have had our hard times for different reasons and I personally find it very hard to ask for help and I know past experiences would have been a lot easier and healthier for me if I had asked for help.
Zak, I hear this song was produced by you. Is this your first venture into music production?
Zak: I’ve actually been running my studio (Earthtide Studios) since the start of 2018, and have had the luxury of producing music for the likes of Wake The Blind, Frontier Season, Elements, & Hollow Haven, plus worked on a bunch of other records. So doing 'Therapy' for the boys was an easy choice for the band.
Besides obviously your own band, who would you love to produce an EP or album for?
Zak: Honestly right now I’d probably say Falling In Reverse or Blackbear. Pretty contrasting artists, but that’s kind of where I’m finding my production style heading these days, and both are really ahead of their game in creating incredible, dynamic & progressive music. Pushing for really huge & beautiful vocals is a big part of how I produce an artist, and the challenges I’d have working with those two world class artists, and offering something valuable and different for them would be incredible. Other than that, I’d actually say a yet-to-be released Dark Pop/Trap artist I’ve been working with of late, is who I’d love to do an EP with. I feel like it's going to happen though, and I can’t wait!
Fuck yeah. Blackbear is killing it musically right now, and I would definitely be keen on checking out an album like that you've produced. Following the release of 'Therapy', can we expect an EP? And when can we hear it?!
Tim: we 100% have an EP coming out off the back of 'Therapy'! We are super proud of this ep too. It’s very much us (sound wise) and we put a lot of work into it!
And you can hear it soon!!!
I hear you also went viral for covering 5SOS! Your take on ‘Youngblood’ kinda breathes new life into the song too. What made you want to reinvent a 5SOS track?
Zak: Honestly it was a bit of an interesting one. We’d decided we wanted to do a cover to bridge the gap between our album and new original music, so we ended up piecing it together and got Zak to record and mix it. It was a fun experiment and so far it’s paid off for us! We actually just picked the song because it had some cool guitar parts in it, and it was an Australian artist so we figured why not represent!
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to times before COVID-19 … what was the last show you attended before lockdown?
Mat: Early 2020 we did a gig supporting The Ascended and Naberus at The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar, this was maybe 2 weeks before everything went into lock down, and I remember we played such a good show and we had such a good crowd show up, but the crazy thing is during the Naberus set a mate of ours was moshing so hard he ended up getting knocked over and knocked out! I don’t think Naberus were able to finish their set because paramedics were called. Definitely a gig I’ll never forget!
Oh damn! Sounds like your mate moshed a little too hard there. Do you guys have any final thoughts you’d like to share with us?
Tim: We just want to say for anyone going through hard times at the moment (especially with COVID restrictions) that it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Ask for help! Whether it’s family or friends or even a neighbour, don’t stay silent. Look after yourself and those around you. Stay safe!
You guys stay safe too, and we'll see you soon (I hope)!
'Therapy' is out this Friday.
Interview by Tamara May (@citylightstam)
