The Color Wild
Sacramento, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF
Music
Press
"The Color Wild is the catchiest band I have ever heard in my entire life. I expect BIG things from them very soon!" - Shan Dan Horan
"When I'm looking for a band that's ready NOW, I'd have to say The Color Wild" - Dee Snider
The up-and-coming, indie-pop quartet, The Color Wild debuted on August 25th their anticipated, electrifying, and exciting EP, Clean. Each one of the six songs are consistently overflowed with intense energy, passionate synth keyboards, and pop melodies to equal a thrilling EP that is extremely hard not to dance to. For fans of Smallpools, Colony House, and Vinyl Theatre, The Color Wild is right up their alley.
This four-piece band consists of the California natives and brothers, Jesse Crosson on keys, guitars, vocals, Kyle Crosson on vocals, Jaden Crosson on drums, and Josh Hansen on lead guitar. Their debut EP begins with the titled track “Clean”, which comes in quickly with a zestful synth keyboard and upbeat percussion. Starting the EP with this track gives a perfect taste of what’s to come later on the tracklist and an accurate taste of The Color Wild’s sound as a whole. Track two is their newest single, “Wild Things” that has a new music video along with it. Regarding “Wild Things”, the band shares their own perspective on the song by stating “At times, the world can be a place full of divide, disagreement, conflict, and pain. We believe that the world needs a little change of pace, maybe just a little more love to bring us back together.”
Later on the EP comes the track “Brighter Than the Moon”, which brings in a colorful pop melody consistent through the song while being surrounded by passionate synth-pop instrumentals. The lyrics on this track especially jump out and stick in my head more than anything else on Clean, with lyrics such as “Open up my heart and fill it up with you, Forget the stars you’re brighter than the moon”. Moving on to the jazzy and rhythmic instrumentation’s in the beginning of “She Said” that brings in a different style than tracks previously. Ending The Color Wild’s EP with the last two tracks “Somebody’s Daughter” and “Saw Her” with each having a similar pop style and lively melodies.
Regarding this EP as a whole, Jesse Crosson shares, “Making Clean was a process of finding our identity as a band and figuring out how we want our storytelling voice to sound. From the start of songwriting to the time we spent in the studio with Erik Ron, we really put time and effort into finding a way to balance sharing a wide variety of emotions with the goal of making people move. That really is the main message of the whole EP- no matter what feeling you’re experiencing at any given moment, it’s possible to find a reason to dance.”
Altogether, Clean pulls out as a solid debut EP for The Color Wild to attract first-time listeners and long-time fans for them both to equally enjoy these lively tracks. Listening to each second of this EP definitely brought similar vibes as a Smallpools album, which has that same indie-pop electrifying tunes as clearly The Color Wild is aiming to project. These California natives certainly delivered and captured a colorful ode to youth, love, and the spirit of a life without limits on their debut EP, Clean. - Music Existence
The Color Wild released their Clean EP debut last year via Artery Recordings – and if you are a fan of timeless high energy pop rock that sets the imagination in flight, it’s one of the best recordings of 2017 that you probably haven’t heard yet. Within a setting of PBWLA, The Color Wild delivered a captivating live performance, showcasing selections from Clean. Even the most jaded of music critic will likely crack a smile and be tempted to sway to the lush and wondrously melodies The Color Wild present on EP and especially within a live performance.
Each and every member truly shines within The Color Wild experience. Keyboardist, occasional guitarist and co-vocalist Jesse Crosson envelopes the songs with a thrilling sense of atmosphere while Josh Hansen unveils a glorious amount on artistry on lead guitar. Drummer Jaden Crosson provides the rock solid beats with skill and flair. And then there’s the massively charismatic lead vocalist Kyle Crosson, whose wonderful lead vocals and magnetic personality are an absolute joy to witness. In addition to the dazzling songs from Clean, The Color Wild also unveiled a brand new composition entitled Cinnamon. 2018 could easily be the breakout year for The Color Wild, especially if their rapturous live performance in a small yet cozy space such as PBWLA is indicative of greater glories ahead. - Highwire Daze
From their hometown of Sacramento, The Color Wild aims to capture a high-energy vibe by mixing melodies of modern pop with rhythmic drive in order to create a happy live show experience. Here’s our take on the EP:
The intro track, Clean, has a great beat, a catchy melody, a driving bassline, and a nostalgic feeling to it. A song that’s brilliantly simple in nature, yet subtly quite complex in practice. I particularly enjoyed the synth hook in this song, and thought that the trade between it, the vocals, and the guitar gave the song a full, but not overwhelming sonic landscape. This song is all about balance and showcases several fun elements without crowding each other out.
Brighter Than The Moon is a real jam. It starts with a very pleasant plucky synth, and then drops in some syncopated chords that give this song a vibe that gets you moving right away! The drum beat pairs beautifully here, and plays nicely with the guitar and synth. I also love the fun bass parts in this song, that really get the vibe going. Some very nice falsetto vocals mixed in with the melody along with a really sick synth solo make this song a definite favorite of mine.
Saw Her, the EP’s finale track, describes the feeling of young love and crushes, and it does a phenomenal job at it. This feeling of nostalgia is accentuated through fast-paced drums, super catchy guitar riffs, and great vocal lines. Seriously, this song brought with it a rush of old emotions in me I had completely forgotten about, and that’s not something every band is able to do. It’s almost like a dance, and this song changes paces a few times which emphasizes the rhythm of life, love, and youth.
While I only mentioned 3 songs during this review, every song on this album is most definitely worth a listen. The Color Wild has managed to capture the energy of youthfulness and love, and mixed it with pleasing sounds, happy vibes, and rhythmic force to create an album that is enjoyable and unique. I guarantee you will feel nostalgic when listening to this album, so you will definitely want to keep an eye out for the release of Clean, on August 25th! - UnderAir Media
Discography
2019
SAY IT TO MY FACE - Single
CLOSURE - Single
BREAKING DOWN MY WALLS - Single
2018
CINNAMON - Single
2017
The Color Wild - CLEAN - EP
- 1. CLEAN
- 2. BRIGHTER THAN THE MOON
- 3. SHE SAID
- 4. SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER
- 5. SAW HER
Photos
Bio
Every successful band becomes a sort of brotherhood, but with The Color Wild, that’s where their story begins. After spending years in bands where the creative control was out of their hands, brothers Kyle (vocals), Jesse (vocals/keyboard), and Jaden (drums) Crosson wanted to make music that captured the spirit of being free. With the addition of their childhood friend Josh Hansen (guitar), The Color Wild was born.
Over the years, the band has evolved their fresh indie-pop sound into something a little more grounded in real life. Instead of manufacturing a song based on an idea of feeling, The Color Wild uses their shared life experiences to tell relatable stories in a way only family can. Jesse explains, “The thing that’s evolved the most is how we speak through our music and the ways we express ourselves. Everything you hear from us is 100% authentic, instead of trying to artificially create a feeling a lot of people go through.”
For the band, it’s these experiences that trigger a melodic idea or an inspiration for a hook or a lyric, realizing there’s something special in an experience that makes them think outside the beats of everyday life. Although they do source their inspiration from their day to day life, The Color Wild is most directly influenced by bands like The 1975, Bleachers, A R I Z O N A, and the pop sensibility of boybands at large.
After reaching the Top 10 in a national Battle of the Bands competition in 2019, the brothers were ready to open the year with a national tour. Unfortunately, 2020 had other plans and their tour was put on hold thanks to the global Covid-19 pandemic. While they can’t tour at the moment, they’re currently in the studio working on their next album, which fans can look forward to in summer 2020.
Regardless of what happens in the music industry during this particular time, The Color Wild plans to stick with the program, elevate their art, and strive to reach their main goal, to keep doing better. From longer tours to more streams, to releasing new songs and albums, the band has big plans. Stick around to watch them unfold.
Band Members
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