After several cassette-only releases, full-lengths, and EPs during the first half of the decade, the challenge for
Growing was how to stay consistently evolving and moving, not just another name in the drone rock/noise camp. The results on
Color Wheel not only meet this challenge head on, but in some instance the duo exceeds expectations. Rather than becoming a one-drone pony,
Growing utilize a wider variety of instrumentation and sounds to develop their compositions. It's a bit like adding a few extra dashes of spices to a dish to accentuate the flavors and ingredients already simmering. While there are familiar elements in play here (glacial pacing, the eventual unraveling and folding of ideas into one another), this time around the duo sounds a bit more relaxed and bright in tone. It's not as aggressive or loud as previous releases, and that's definitely a welcome thing as well. A nice leap forward for a project that feels as if it's just getting started, even several years into the duo's career. ~ Rob Theakston