Back at the start of the month, Illinois outfit The Color Morale released their fourth studio album ‘Hold On Pain Ends‘ for Fearless Records. You won’t have to wait too long to catch the tracks live as the band will return to Australia next year on Soundwave Festival. This week Garret from the band takes on our On The Record questions to tell us more about the new album. You can grab a copy digitally [Here], or physically [Here]. Expand this post for his answers.
Tell us about the release title.
I made a commitment doing our last record that I would spend the entire album cycle doing merch for my own band. In doing so I made myself very connected to my fanbase and available to listen to them. Know Hope wasn’t a record name, it was a lifestyle decision I made while almost taking my own life after battling endlessly with depression. ‘Hold On Pain Ends’ is my observation of what kids are dealing with and need help through. This record was made for them.
Tell us about the artwork.
The image is actually a close friend of our bands. It was created by my good friend Leigh who is in an Australian band called Trainwreck. I wanted him to have a chance to show his talent and I used TCM’s platform to do so. He is incredibly talented and specializes in stipple which I love.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
All the usual formats! The CD and Vinyl are available in Australia on 24Hundred [Here], Digital on iTunes [Here]. Some more options through Merchnow [Here].
Who will it be released through, and when?
It came out earlier this month on Fearless Records / Unified in Australia.
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We met Mike Green and co-wrote ‘Prey For Me’ with him. He’s a mastermind behind a board and really seemed to grasp the creative direction of the subject matter we chose to sing about. He’s done some great records and recording with him challenged us in a different way we hadn’t experienced. This record is a bit different than previous work. We loved working with Mike.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
Absolutely. Our guitarist Aaron Saunders did all of the pre production and demo work and I had a lyrical direction planned specifically.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
I’ve definitely been listening to Six60 alot, along with alot of singer/songwriter music. I think that heavily influenced an acoustic song on our record.
Were there any albums you were referencing to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
Not really, we just wanted an album with a ton of song structure and a huge sound. Nothing over produced or too polished, but just big sounding songs with focused vocal delivery.
How long did you spend in the studio recording?
We were there 6 weeks.
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
Mike actually recorded drums last which was pretty different for us. I’ve never seen someone tab drums that fast in my life. He took midi tracks and sat with Steve to make different drum fills and detail, then Steve tracked them live later. We’ve always been so used to doing drums first, that was very different and way more time efficient.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
We had two guest features on the record. Dave Stephens from We Came As Romans and Craig Owens from Chiodos.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
I know we experimented with a few different guitar sounds but we loved using our Orange amps with Carvin, Fender, and Ernie Ball Musicman guitars. Steve’s Sjc kit sounded amazing on that live room. Steve also uses a Dutchman Drums snare, Zildjan brand cymbals, Remo heads, and Vic Firth sticks.
Any memorable studio moments?
Any time you get all of us together and a nice little hole in the wall bar after a long studio day, that always makes for a good time.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
There was quite a bit of material, but it’ll never see the light of day I’m sure.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
I personally can’t wait to play ‘Suicide;Stigma’, we’ll be on tour with We Came As Romans and Dave will be doing his part live.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
This record picks up where ‘Know Hope’ left off. Just focuses more on the message and lyrical content that technical song writing. This record was a challenge in a different direction for us. We knows what we’ll do on the next record, maybe go heavier and maybe not scream at all.
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THE COLOR MORALE – ‘Hold On Pain Ends‘
Available now on Fearless Records / Unified.
Order now on iTunes [Here].
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Catch The Color Morale touring in 2015 on Soundwave Festival.
Visit www.soundwavefestival.com for all the information. Tickets are on sale now.
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