Goings - Colorblind [EP]
These songs were our last written songs before the pandemic and they were also the last three songs written with our original guitarist, Jack Meidel. We thought a cohesive EP would be a good send-off for Jack. Several things are unique about the EP. Lyrically, they are some of the most personal. Red and Colorblind are a portrait of change for Aidan and Keith respectively, and writing Blue was our most collaborative lyric-writing approach to date. After our first LP, Aidan began incorporating a Rhodes for keys, which gives Blue a very different sound compared to anything else we have written. We were more comfortable in the studio this time around, which allowed us to have fun with things like an acoustic bass, recording the sound from random radio stations to create chaos, and using weird percussion instruments to incorporate unique rhythms. We always had the vision of making a cohesive set of music videos that would span the tracklist of an entire release. We got to do that here with three videos directed by Ben Abrams.
The opening track, Red, deliberately combines us at our most pop-oriented with our most emo/punk sound to date. The dancing synthesizer lead and high hats on the upbeat make you want to dance, while the chorus will make you mosh. Shifting between extremes is something that we really like to do, and this song is the best example of that. At the time of writing, the band was going through a significant transition. When writing the lyrics, Keith was reflecting on the powerful bond created with friends that you write music with, and how complex the bandmate/friend dynamic can be when change inevitably comes to each person’s life or creative process.
Colorblind combines a bright, danceable instrumental with deeply personal and mysterious lyrics. Aidan questions why we all are the way we are when looking to the past provides no clear answer. The narrator says “it’s going down tonight,” without saying what “it” is, or what’s inside the “red-orange room.”
The meaning behind Blue evolved over time, with the lyrics subconsciously alluding to the changes that Keith and Aidan were experiencing as songwriters. The verses of the song seem to point to the illusory meaning behind an artist’s work that is “just outside of view,” even to them. The chorus has developed a meaning relating to undying, nostalgic love, but our interpretation isn’t as important as the listener finding their own way. Keith almost doesn’t want to be read by the audience, letting them know that unless you are involved in our messy, confusing art-making process, “you’ll never know me like that.”