Colony House delved into the stylistic nooks and crannies of their genre at an intimate gig in New York City.
This week, Colony House performed a sneak preview of their upcoming album Only the Lonely. The final set-list, mixing up both fresh tracks and familiar favorites by the band, promoted a gig that balanced the old and the new. The initial set-up added to this, with a visual loop playing on the stage’s backdrop, illuminating scenes from 1950s music performances and lomography-style clips from contemporary music videos. All of this was set against the scenery of The Slipper Room in the Lower East Side, whose décor boasted floral patterns and aged colors reminiscent of the revived TV series, Twin Peaks.
Purveyors of American Indie-Rock, Colony House matched this mood as the young men took the stage in vintage style. Their music, however, was strikingly contemporary, demonstrating influences from a vast range 21st century artists. When listening to Colony House perform, household names such as The Black Keys, Mac DeMarco and Cold War Kids might pop into your brain; but judging from their versatility – they regularly leap from heavy percussion and bass riffs to softer, guitar dominated sounds – and lead singer Caleb Chapman’s vocal abilities, these boys are more than able to hold their own.
The crowd in The Slipper Room on Wednesday night certainly agreed. Whether it was for the new releases, such as “You & I,” or the more familiar tracks, like “Silhouettes,” the audience clapped and rocked to the music. Caleb, after taking a moment to introduce his fellow band members – his brother, Will Chapman, with Scott Mills and Parke Cottrell –turned to the crowd to thank them:
“We’re debuting these songs, in a way, so it’s exciting for us to figure these out…we appreciate the love and you guys coming out to see us play.”
The singer’s words hint at this band’s effect. When listening to Colony House, you sense their music speaks to the pitfalls of youth, helping you navigate your early-20’s and, if you’re past that, it makes you nostalgic for all those times you were figuring it out.
In their final song, the band holds their energy, enjoying their performance as much as their fans. At the show’s close, they embrace on-stage, before dipping off to the side and on to their next tour.
Colony House is available to stream on Spotify. Their upcoming album is available for pre-order on iTunes.
Can’t wait until Only The Lonely is released? You can catch the boys with The Mowglis at The Bowery Ballroom next month! Tickets are available here.