Australian shoegaze revivalists
Flyying Colours arrived in 2014 fully formed; their self-titled debut EP sports songs with tightly interlocked guitars and vocal harmonies, a propulsive rhythm section, and huge hooks that bands like
Ride and
Chapterhouse could have used more of back in the old days. Any OG shoegaze or dream pop band would have sold its pedalboard for a song as good as "Wavygravy."
Flyying Colours' second record, 2015's
ROYGBIV EP, shows that that first one was no fluke, and they continue to adhere to the tenets of being successful revivalists. Rule one is to lock down the basis of the sound you are reviving; next, you need to bring something unique to the party that gives listeners a compelling reason to tune in and not just spin
Nowhere for the 1,000th time.
Flyying Colours nail the first part, and manage the second just as easily. How, one might inquire? They have a graceful, unhurried quality to their approach that is pretty unique among their contemporaries. They glide where other bands might grind; they cruise where other bands work up a stinky sweat trying to make as much historically accurate noise as possible; they basically set the controls to relaxed and leave them there. The songs are very catchy -- "Running Late" is this EP's bid for immortality -- and they do make some noise here and there, like on the almost animated "Not Today" and the oddly baggy "Leaks," which ends the album with a little bit of Madchester funk. But really,
Flyying Colours are the laid-back, sun-soaked member of the retro gaze family. Not that there's a problem with that when the sound they have is so assured and pleasing, and the songs are so strong. ~ Tim Sendra