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Exclusive Release: Metamorphosis by Colorblind

Jul 08, 12:55pm

The Delhi-based one-man act’s new single is spacey, cavernous and pleasantly non-intrusive �

Colorblind is a solo project and the artist behind the moniker, Kartik Mishra, executes sheer work ethic. He has put out four sizeable releases in the last year and a bit; three EPs (‘Please, Speak Softly’, ‘Drones’ and ‘Babel’) and one two-disc concept album ‘Non Physical Impediment’, his most personal project to date and by itself a very complex affair; ten songs separated into two sides of five with each side inspired by the works of a famous philosopher (Friedrich Nietzsche and Albert Camus). The fact that just one of his four recent releases is so heavy in subject matter makes his prolific streak all the more commendable. He is continuing to put out music, his latest being a standalone single, ‘Metamorphosis’.

The song is a departure for Mishra both in terms of sound and songwriting. Even though it is a far cry from his recent work, it was actually written before any of it was even written. A while before he even started writing ‘Please, Speak Softly’ (which came out early last year), he had the main riff for ‘Metamorphosis’, a song that he said took shape while he was jamming with his friends and sounded completely different then to what it is now. When he started working on Softly, he realized that the musical style of the EP was in no way conducive to including the track, so it sat on the backburner and stayed there throughout his subsequent releases. His recent work has included a lot of experimental and dissonant sounds; discomfort and comfort. A quick listen to ‘Metamorphosis’ makes it patently obvious why he could not include it in anything else he has released to date.

Listen to Metamorphosis:

It is a slow, plodding post-rock tune, with the almost agonizingly slow buildups and massive, massive resolving riffs that characterize the genre. It is comfortable being the background to your studying or contraband-ing sessions, not really bothering about grabbing your attention or making you suddenly sit upright. The production is also quite neat, combining elements in an instinctive, very musical way to bring out that huge, make-you-feel-insignificant sound that we all know and love. There is no bass on the recording, which is unusual; Mishra instead uses very widely mixed reverb-soaked drums and guitars to almost take its place in the soundscape. It works better than you might expect; one will barely miss its influence because wave after wave of mighty kicks and snares are continually filling your ears, with big reverb-y guitars that start off pristine and clean, and end in heavy, heavy distortion. The drums and placement of sounds are reminiscent of Mogwai, though not derivative in any way (Mishra' sonic inspiration for the song).

With a plan to foray into other forms of media: short films and the like, Mishra's extensive body of work, including this contemplative piece, should be more than enough to tide you over in the near future.