Hailing from San Deigo, USA, The Color Forty Nine have taken inspiration from their city and its surrounding area for their new album, A Whisper.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Becky Digiglio
The Color Forty Nine are a band with some pedigree. Collectively, its members have played with the likes of little white teeth, Black Heart Procession, and the Album Leaf, among others. Together, they’ve been releasing music since 2018 and have put out three EPs to date.
A Whisper feels like their most ambitious record to date, drawing from the rich heritage of the American city that sits just above the border to Mexico. Recorded in home studios as well as Mexico City’s Estudio Noviembre with Dave Parra, it’s an album very rooted in a sense of place.
The album opens with the gentle and contemplative refrain of The Whisper. Melancholic vocals are paired with acoustic guitar during a stripped-back first verse which draws the listener in. Plenty of space is left for the lyrics which paint a vivid, romantic picture.
Eight more tracks follow, giving us an anthology of vignettes. We Send Satellites is an early indie folk highlight while Maybe We’re Flying is a warming, folksy moment. Jubilee Street sees the band take on Nick Cave’s classic, filling it with a cinematic moodiness. 8 am is an understated philosophical and psychedelic trip while Afternoon Train closes the album with some spoken word storytelling.
The Color Forty Nine’s new album is a beautifully accomplished one full of sense of narrative and place. It’s a collection in which it’s easy to get lost.
A Whisper is out now and you can give it a listen below.