Work/Life Balance Imagine if three talented musicians paired up on their love of bands like Thrice, Cursive, and Taking Back Sunday, and wanted to channel teenage angst with an energetic musical performance paired with pop sensibilities. Imagine no more. A new emo rock band, called Color Me Fatigued, include the trio of April Crews (guitar/vocals), John Zook (bass), and Jacob Godbey (drums) who take each of their combined influences into a neatly re-packaged sound on their debut LP of If I’m Running Away… When I listen back to the tunes that make up this record, I hear influences that range from the soft/loud dynamic of bands like Circa Survive, the math rock of The Early November, and at times, even some speed metal. Introduced to the world by the lead single of “Work/Life Balance” that laments on the dangers of the nine to five office environments that value productivity over personality, Color Me Fatigued make a worthy opening statement on If I’m Running Away…
”Nuisance” opens the album with a steady guitar riff groove from April Crews, and April’s emotive vocal delivery remains top notch throughout the song. The track features a litany of tempo changes, beats, and instrumental sections that highlight not only the band’s core influences, but also their impressive musical chops and chemistry as a unit. Other songs in the early-going like “Going Down (With The Flow)” are reminiscent of early-Jimmy Eat World, paired with Brand New-esque starts and stops to the sound that Color Me Fatigued were going for here. “17 Again” finds the band looking back at their past, including old love interests, and the ups and downs of growing up. The machine gun drumming of Jacob Godbey is a highlight of this track, and joining up with bassist John Zook makes for a stellar rhythm section.
”Escape Plans” is a nice acoustic-based ballad that showcases the sensitive side of Color Me Fatigued, while diving into relatable lyrical themes like love, loss, and friendships. As the song unfolds, April’s vocal cadence changes while gang vocals are added into the mix to make for a sing-along moment in the set. “S E P A R A T E” evokes the thrash metal of early-Thrice paired with brooding vocals to evoke the right emotions behind each of the pointed lyrics, and “I-25” takes the listener on a unique journey through sweeping tempo changes and different vocal stylistic choices by April to keep things remaining unpredictable.
”Cigarette Burns” is one of the more accessible songs on If I’m Running Away… and would be a good starting point if you’re unsure if you would enjoy the style of Color Me Fatigued. The blend of screams and clean vocals makes for a memorable part of the set. Things build up nicely to a sprawling closer of “Mutually Assured Destruction” that starts slowly and vulnerably, before picking up speed to make for a powerful ending statement that bands like Jimmy Eat World could be proud of hearing for themselves. Color Me Fatigued have all the makings of a band capable of creating great music, and their tight musicianship highlights their strengths as a unit that will continue to get better the more they play and write together. The emo genre sounds a little less fatigued than one would think with this great opening statement from the new Colorado band.