Interestingly, one of the first things I thought of when I heard the urgent, skull-rattling thrum of Hello Bones' new single "Colours," was a tattoo machine. That's not to say that the track drones or whines, but it'll certainly get under your skin and in the right context it might make you bleed.
From the moment the searing, sputtering riff kicks in, there's a nervous energy to "Colours," the drums beating out a rhythm like a involuntary tic while singer Hayden Gray's strangled yelp taps into and amplifies the racket. The pointed but abstract lyrics express frustration at the layers of meaning we force upon our experience of the world: "the colours that don't exist," Hayden spits with bitterness in the song's chorus.
The brilliant one-take wonder of a video is also utterly relatable, pulling its central character between a quiet night at home eating (burnt) peanut butter toast and a what appears to be a raging party, soundtracked by Hello Bones and a barebones (pardon the pun) living room set up. Full of detail and emotion, the endlessly rewatchable video is just as much of a draw as the song itself.
It's very obvious that "Colours" is the kind of song that will go off when the band, notorious for their live prowess, play it on-stage.
"Colours" will feature on an EP due later this year, but before that Hello Bones will be launching the single with a special free show at Enmore's Hideaway Bar on April 28th.
