Single Review – Better Angels / Heartstrings by The Color Waves (2024) (Self released)
The last time we heard from The Color Waves, Mr. Trump was pretending COVID did not exist while failing to see any contradiction in calling such a non-existent illness the ‘Chinese Flu’, and Boris Johnson and his Tory barsteward cronies were trying to convince the British public that a fifty people drinking, playing music and dancing, whilst nibbling on snacks could in no way be construed as a party.
Yes, COVID-19 seems like a long time ago now, but acts like Garry Hoggan and his The Color Waves project, who released a lovely eponymous album of subtle cinematic and symphonic pop, helped to brighten the time, at least in part.
Four years later, The Color Waves are back with a new single that sees them embark on a slightly different sound than before. Better Angel drops the symphonics of their yesteryear to adopt a more subtle sound that moves somewhere between the solo Grant McLellan jangly indie-pop introspection and the hushed, ethereal gaze-inflected beauty of the recent The Boltons vibe.
Despite the vibrancy of the jangled riffs that frequent the sound, Heartstrings feels somehow more melancholic. Assuaged with the scouse-pop of all manner of Michael Head acts or The Wild Swans, this is beautiful, dulcet, jangly indie-pop of the highest order.
The less complicated production and move towards a more sophisticated indie/guitar-pop aesthetic certainly suit this act, and I hope it is something that Hoggan considers moving further towards in subsequent releases.
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