Written by Maria Arroyo
Artist: Colony House
Album: Leave What’s Lost Behind
Release Date: January 24, 2020
Colony House is an alt-rock four-piece from Franklin, Tennessee and they just released their latest record, Leave What’s Lost Behind, yesterday.
“Looking For Some Light” is the opening track on the album and has an immensely incredible string and orchestral arrangement that was paired well with an even stronger male vocal part. The vocals layered with the arrangement really kicked this album off to a great start! This song moved me in the most beautiful way. That percussive playing on the offbeat is so amazing, and as a musician, one of the best things I’ve heard. This was also assisted with their use of electric instruments to help with that ambient feeling. There was so much buildup in his voice, lyrics, and a huge commitment to making sure that the song has a beginning, middle, and end.
On “Runaway Pt. 1 (Love Has a Limit)”, the song has a nice back and forth between instrumentals and vocals. His voice is so captivating, and once again, I loved everything about this song, so you can imagine how upset I was when the song was too short. I wanted more!
“Leave What’s Lost Behind” continued with their strong percussive intro with some electric keys to complement it. There were smooth vocals throughout and I loved that there was a change in his vocal performance, which added so much more to the song. This track was a little more on the upbeat side, but it didn’t feel like the mood lightened. I could, without a doubt, listen to this album all day on repeat and find something new every time to fall in love. That walking vocal line that’s then mimicked in the opposite direction in the guitar!!! “You’re trying not to fall but your standing on some shaky ground but this foundation is something real you can’t believe it” was just a work of art.
Just when I thought I couldn’t like them more, up next is “Original Material” and what a damn good song it was! I felt like this song goes out to all the people that feel different or like they don’t fit in. The song reassured me that it’s okay to be 100% unapologetically me. The lyrics were beautifully crafted and delivered. I commend them so much on that. Their whole hook for the song was “I got too much on my mind to be wasting any time, pretending to fit in with the rest of them. I’d rather be original material” and while not saying it with so many words, spoke volumes.
“El Capitan” and “Take It Slow” both changed up the sound in a completely, different direction with a more indie-rock approach. They are such a diverse band to be able to pull off all of these things so effortlessly. Then, in “El Capitan”, there was a funky breakdown to cut time. While on “Take It Slow”, it has this kind of hip-hop breakdown that was something I hadn’t ever heard before.
“Why Even Try” is a beautiful ballad. The change in its time signature was a nice touch and the harmonies were so crisp and incredible that it didn’t make sense to listen to just once. Once again, they have this beautiful build-up in their bridge and it stays true to the fact that there is no way that you can listen to this album and not feel something. The same can be said for “Runaway Pt. 2 (Love is a Compass).”
“Where I’m From” took a more R&B-inspired direction. They played very well into their story-like lyrics on “can see it in the eyes of my son and my daughter/where I’m from, where I’m from/the lost and broken sing-along/and I can hear it in the voices of her mother/and the cries of a child, where I’m from.” Just as the song comes to an end, it felt like the piano arrangement was meant to symbolize the voice of a lost one in the story and there, bringing the song full circle was accomplished.
Their next song, “Julia,” had a different rhythm performance which I really admired, and it was paired with some incredible harmonies. It was nice to have a feel-good song in the middle of some really heavy-hitting moments. “Runaway Pt. 3 (The Weight)” was the last of the shorter interludes of the album that created such a beautiful message.
“Trying” and “The Hope Inside” brought the album as a whole to its end. It felt as though those two songs were created for every person who walks this earth. It felt like a message that everyone has been through in their eyes, which was nothing short of incredible.
I am truly amazed to have listened to this album. Everything that is rich and raw and true about life is spilled out into these songs and I felt every moment of it over and over again.
