Big Sleeper is the latest offering from supergroup InTechnicolour. If you’re not sure who they are, well, you will be after listening to this album. To clue you in though, InTechnicolour is a supergroup hailing from Brighton. Members of Delta Sleep, LUO and Broker form the quartet and they will change your perception on stoner-rock in just nine songs. ‘Miami Funk’ is first off the mark to grace your ears. While there’s not really much Miami, there is a little funk within this atmospheric tune. Snarling guitars and Tobie Anderson’s anthemic vocals form the driving force of ‘Miami Funk’. Experimentation with loud and quiet is the dominant aspect of this song, and while it’s wonderfully intelligent, minds may wander away from the clever composition. Sure to bring back any wavering attention is the bubbly ‘Under the Sun’. The riffs bounce behind Anderson’s crooning voice. He sings dark lyrics, asking someone to “come with me to the water. Help me drown”. Yet step back from these words and you’ll find that the upbeat guitars and softer vocal feeling more welcoming than the previous track. Different feelings and emotions appear to be the dominant theme of the record. There’s more than that, though. ‘Big Sleeper’ will bring forth a feeling of unease as Anderson mentions spiritual beings. Then ‘Gallon Man’ begins, heavily driven by Vlad Marveikov’s bass. In its seven minutes, ‘Gallon Man’ prompts thoughts of humanity and mental health as Anderson sings that, “nothing scares me like myself.” Beyond that poignant lyric is an ambitious song that guides thoughts with its moments of peace. That’s not all InTechnicolour do with Big Sleeper. As Anderson explains, ‘Doomer’ is “about realising that I’m not eighteen anymore and in my weird mind, that means my time might be running out?” These thoughts are conveyed in the lyrics and the contemplative guitar sounds. While being incredibly relatable, ‘Doomer’ unfortunately falls a bit flat. It lacks the excitement previous songs held, meaning there’s less to keep attention on the sounds. The final ambitious track InTechnicolour offer on Big Sleeper is aptly named ‘Tortoise’. Clocking in at a mighty 10 minutes, this tune is a real journey through sound. The sounds that the band play with in the first few minutes are peaceful, the early beginnings of something coming to life. While there’s no huge rock anthem to enjoy here, letting the sounds happen and enjoying their beautiful production is, we believe, the purpose of these ten minutes. And the growth throughout ‘Tortoise’ is wonderful; each new murmur of sound piques interest, each subtle hint of a riff inspires curiosity. In the last three minutes, the track nears completion and it’s incredibly satisfying. Like anything though, the main riff grates at the mind after hearing it for so long. InTechnicolour’s latest venture is certainly worth a spin. They offer much more than just rock music; their thoughts and commentary on life are worth hearing. As a band that “literally have nothing to say about themselves”, it’s obvious that InTechnicolour let their music talk for them – and it says some interesting things. Score: 7.5/10 Big Sleeper is out Friday 21st February via Big Scary Monsters. InTechnicolour will be touring the next few months alongside CLT DRP and Operation Kino. Dates below. 19.02.2020 – Glasgow, Broadcast (w/ CLT DRP)
20.02.2020 – Bristol, The Exchange (w/ CLT DRP)
21.02.2020 – London, The Black Heart (w/ CLT DRP)
22.02.2020 – Southampton, Heartbreaker’s (w/ CLT DRP)
23.02.2020 – Brighton, The Pipeline (w/ Operation Kino) 26.03.2020 – Worthing, Bar 42 (w/ Operation Kino)
27.03.2020 – Tunbridge Wells, Forum Basement (w/ Operation Kino)
28.03.2020 – Hastings, Crawley’s (w/ Operation Kino)
23.04.2020 – Cheltenham, Frog And Fiddle (w/ Operation Kino)