The band runs us through their new release.
In April, we (Sydney-based art-rock group July Morning) released our debut album: The Colours of Darkness.
To celebrate, we’re playing a launch show at Low 302 on May 15th and our friends at Happy Mag have let us share a track by track breakdown with you.
We hope you love our music, and we hope to see you at our launch show—enjoy!
Page After Page
The opening track, ‘Page’ is a psych-tinged folk-rock ballad, packed with layers of vocals and an emotional sax solo, confronting when true connection with someone permanently beset by severe mental illness is impossible.
FFO: Pink Floyd, The War on Drugs, Beach House, Big Thief
The Canary Song
The fourth single from the album, ‘Canary’ is a sleazy, blues-rock number with a fuzzed out riff and huge guitar solo – it’s a satire about scumbag capitalists and politicians who elevate themselves before all else, and their eventual comedown.
FFO: QOTSA, The White Stripes, Fontaines DC, and hating on billionaires
Upper Hand
The first lead single from the album, ‘Hand’ is part psych-folk-rock, part cataclysmic hard rock composed in the hero’s journey structure – filled with eerie keyboards, thick riffs and thunderous drums, it’s about confronting duality and conflict: in the world, and in ourselves.
FFO: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Sleater-Kinney
Scorched Earth
A duet and ballad driven by piano, effected guitars and strings that crescendos into an ominous bridge before relenting – it’s an internalised dialogue about facing uncertainty in failing relationships and being challenged by regret.
FFO: Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, Kate Bush, Julia Holter
Force of Nature
The third single from our album, ‘Force’ is driven by fuzz-drenched bass, layered slide guitars, and emotive vocals – it’s about one’s internal and external battles and the back and forth that occurs when overcoming them.
FFO: Oasis, Iceage, Pearl Jam
Beacon
The second single from our album, ‘Beacon’ is built around acoustic guitars, delicate pianos, and other folky textures, and is both a tribute and lament to a childhood protector who was but a child themselves and should never have been thrust into such a role.
FFO: PJ Harvey, Neil Young, Fleet Foxes
The Colours of Darkness
The title track and fifth single from our album, ‘Darkness’ is a two-part epic length song: a sweet sounding yet foreboding opening bolstered by mellotron and pretty guitar lines eventually implodes into a cacophony of heavy guitars and dark synths, and is about experiencing total despair driving one to apologetics for not being here.
FFO: The Beatles, Radiohead, Genesis
Ex Nihilo
A two-part epic that carries on the theme of darkness with a gentle yet sinister classical guitar opening that builds into distorted effects and aggressive drumming, before switching to a four-to-the floor death-march into oblivion showcasing a drum and sax solo; there are no words on this track.
FFO: King Crimson, David Bowie, Protomartyr, Radiohead
Fruitless Pursuit
“Fruitless” is complete and utter catharsis – a through-composed epic that builds with layers of guitars, pianos, vocal harmonies and strings, the song is the realisation that relief and release involve bidding farewell to both the bad and the good, and that saying goodbye is a process that takes time, not occurring all at once.
FFO: Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, Talking Heads, BCNR, Jeff Buckley
Words by July Morning.
