Melbourne’s sonic shape shifters Flyying Colours have just unveiled to the world their debut album Mindfullness.
Flyying Colours have always managed to keep one foot firmly planted in the world of rock, leaving the other free to stomp and roam as it sees fit in the worlds of psych, indie, grunge and shoe gaze, never spending long enough in any which one to be pigeonholed. Now, we get to witness how this all comes together over the course of a full-length album.
Thick layers of vocal melody, a solid wall of guitars and a drummer who clearly calls no man sir – there are a lot of moving parts to Mindfullness and, thankfully, the band have given us a play-by-play of the big debut, so we can all be mindful of what’s going down around our ears.
The album title: Mindfullness
Despite how it may seem, all members of Flyying Colours are quite literate, and great spellers (thats the joke?). Despite warnings from most people around us, we have intentionally mis-spelt the album title.
It’s a play on what the word actually means, and I guess ours and my head space coming into the record. We had toured for a year together before we were able to take the time to make this record, and I’m sure in that time this album existed in its own way in each of our heads. Personally my mind was very full of songs, sounds and ideas, somewhat making it difficult to be ‘in the moment’ in the studio when it was all so anticipated. Thats basically it. I don’t want to ramble.
It’s Tomorrow Now
This song was the first one I demoed for the record, and always from then had this assumptive vibe that it would be track one. I think the energy and intensity of it, Andy pummelling the drums and the indulgent guitar solo, when compared to the other songs on the record really captured how excited we were on day one in the studio.
Long Holiday
Lyrically this song is much the opposite of the first track. Like the mindfulness rather than the ’mindfullness’ maybe. I feel parts of the record are divided like that. Like good days and bad or something. When we recorded this one the sun was shining and we were smiling, and to me it sounds like that is in the track.
This Is What You Wanted
We didn’t intend on this track being on the record initially. Gemma and I have worked on it over many years sporadically, changing things up often. We just found something that worked really well in the moment that one day in the studio and here it is.
1987
I regularly forget how to play this song, it doesn’t matter how hard I try it just escapes me. I have no idea why because it’s not very difficult, but I guess that suits the vibe of hopelessness and helplessness within the song. Maybe it’s because Melanie’s super bass part is all I listen to?
Morning Stoner
Sometimes it’s really hard to get out of bed. Not because you are tired, or because there is something you have to do that you don’t want to, it’s hard because anything more than lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, could only make things worse, not better. More difficult, more complicated. Logically, the best thing to do is stay right where you are, in bed, and probably listening to music.
Mellow
It was a great feeling recording this song and now playing it live, probably the track I’m most fond of. It’s another one Gemma and I have been working for years. Gem’s vocal in this track is one of my favourite parts of the record. And Andy’s fill at 4:29.
ROYGBIV
The spoken sample we used on this track is from a ’50s educational film called In Colour, which I recommend to anyone wanting to know how colours work (!?). The video clip for Not Today from our ROYGBIV EP uses some footage from this same film, so it all kind of comes together in a confusing way.
Sun, Hail and Rain
I’m sure I worked this song out over many walks around Brunswick. A good friend of mine Mitch once said he thought the meaning of life was walking, and the more I walk to places the more I agree. Walking around Melbourne, even if only for a short time you can still experience sun, hail and rain all in the same day, hence the title.
Mindfullness
We wanted a fuzzy, driving, gritty kind of lumbering sound for this one. Like a canoe cruising down a desert sand dune, slowly but surely moving and spreading the sand as it goes. Not overly graceful, but doing it none the less. Thats kinda how life feels sometimes.
When
This was always going to be the last song of our first record, even before we released our first song or EP. No reason why other than it has just always felt that way. For me it closes the chapter on the last few years of writing and recording. Its the final maybe tired breath of these 10 songs, and all of our songs up until now. I never really thought about or even realised the final line of the record being “now it’s all in the past” until we finally finished. Pretty cool.
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‘Mindfullness’ is out now, grab a copy here. Flyying Colours will head out on an album tour, beginning in Perth on November 18th. See details below.
Flyying Colours Australian Tour Dates
Tickets available now
Friday, 18th November
Badlands Bar, Perth
Tickets: Flyying Colours
Saturday, 19th November
The Odd Fellow, Fremantle
Tickets: Flyying Colours
Friday, 25th November
Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
Tickets: Flyying Colours
Sunday, 27th November
Newtown Social Club, Sydney
Tickets: Flyying Colours
Friday, 2nd December
Howler, Melbourne
Tickets: Flyying Colours
