If you are reading this, you are living in … THE FUTURE!

How are things?

This is the fourth album by Colouratura, released on October 23rd, 2023 on Melodic Revolution Records, and is also the very first time in their history they have decided to add liner notes proper.

The album was recorded between early 2022 and wrapped summer of 2023, making it the longest time they’ve cumulatively spent making an album (Black Steeple Church doesn’t count as they took a long break and then restarted).

1. WTF Was That?! (1:47)
2. Toy Soldiers (3:49)
3. Flim-Flam Man (5:21)
4. Side Hustle (2:36)
5. Lousy Smarch Weather (4:24)
6. Away (4:35)
7. Palace of Blood (5:46)
8. SIMR (3:18)
9. Sleeping Giant (8:47)
10. The LSD No-No (5:05)
11. Mothman (6:14)

The art rock trio from the Ohio Valley open their new recording on the rampant titular WTF Was That?! and the languishing Toy Soldiers and they are followed by the atmospheric alt-rocker Flim-Flam Man, and then we get the rhythmic Side Hustle and the fervent, low slung Lousy Smarch Weather.

Up next is one of my own personal favorites, the Celtic-imbibed Away and that is in turn backed seamlessly by the bell-chiming initially, smoothly sculptured thereafter Palace of Blood, the down and dirty guitar rock of SIMR, the recording rounding out on the veritably, at times, ethereal, at others dug in Sleeping Giant and the free-flowing, playful The LSD No-No, coming to a close on the funky, wood wind-hued jam Mothman.

The WTF Was That?! concept came from a viewing of the film Everything Everywhere all at Once, in which it dawned on them that if they wanted to do the normal genre-hopping and multi mood settings that they never could quite get away with, and it would work a whole lot better if they somehow tied it to the primary theme of the record.

“WTF was that?!” was the name of a jam they’d recorded at the end of the “Headsplitter” sessions with Dave Trik. As they themselves fully admit, it was spontaneous, spur of the moment and a little bit silly - it seemed to be the only title and concept that would sustain putting songs like “Mothman” and “Away” on the same record as “Sleeping Giant” and “The LSD No No.”

MUSICIANS:
Ian Beabout - production, editing, backing vocals, microKorg synth, flute, field recordings (3) theremini (5), lead vocals (10)
Nathan James - bass, lead vocals, backing vocals, keyboard and synths (2, 11), acoustic guitar (6)
Derek Pavlic - guitars, viola (6,7) mellotron and synths (7, 9), glockenspiel (7, 9, 10), vocoder (11)

WITH:
Derek Ferguson - drums (except 1, 6), keyboards and percussion (4)
Dave Trik - drums (1)
Chris Boros - mellotron (2)
Mitch Lawrence - saxophone solo (11)
Jacopo Muneratti - moth swat (11)

Official Purchase Link