On June 22nd, Chroma Lips released their debut album chromaZone. The band has been making waves in the city since their formation about a year and a half ago, building a hell of a name for themselves based on sheer word of mouth and by sharing bills with some of the best young psych bands in the city. As such, their name has been out there in the streets, plastered on venue walls, hanging on the lips of those in the know. But, when one wanted to go looking for them on their respective streaming services to find out what the hype’s about, all that would come up was a handful of singles released sporadically over the last year. Those singles are strong. There just wasn’t very many of them. With the release of chromaZone, lack of Chroma Lips to listen to is no longer a problem.
READ: Chroma Lips Talk Debut Album “chromaZone” Ahead of June 22nd Release
The debut album exudes confidence, showcasing a band who may still be growing into themselves beginning their journey with a distinct voice and a clear identity. The album, rich if safe within its psych-rock confines, covers many topics, sex, freedom, dancing in the desert, so much more. It’s all told through this enigmatic lens, the songs lyrically relatable without letting the listener get too close. It touches on a variety of sounds, fuzzy at times, synth-heavy at others, never saccharine but never too mean either, though many of the riffs go very fuckin’ hard. It’s a hell of a debut, one that should herald the coming of one of Denver’s next psychedelic darlings.
The album kicks off with “Desert Queen,” a song that the band has described as “a proof of concept” song for them. It does have a sort of mission statement feel to it, emanating the idea that Chroma Lips is saying “Here we are and this is what we’re about.” Featuring a droning psych riff topped by frontpeople Violet Hues and Harry Edwards singing in tandem, the song immediately creates a kind of hypnosis in the listener, throwing them into a trance filled with visions of desert revelries, storms on the horizon, sun baking all that it sees. It’s a strong start, one that gets into your brain and stays there all day.
“Mystery” follows and feels like a continuation of that “proof of concept” idea. The song has a duality to it, as do many on the album. The verses feature this incredible riff reminiscent of something The Brian Jonestown Massacre might have come up with that you just want to follow, that carries you through the song floating. Its enigmatic nature makes you want to go where it leads, to know the mystery. It leads you to this chorus that simply goes “Come on/ Come on,” inviting you to keep on following. You may not exactly know what’s going on on where you are 100% of the time but that’s the point. Chroma Lips want you to get lost in them, to be intoxicated by them, to be willing to follow them wherever they lead. This song is your invitation.
“Headcrush” is up next. It’s a quick one, fast and fun, with a chorus built for audiences to chant. Featuring a bright organ part that melds with a cowbell to create this lovely and propulsive vibe that pushes you through the chorus to a rather ripping guitar solo that leads to an honestly slightly hard to hear spoken word part, the song is a jumper, a mosh inducer, one to get crowds moving. It’s also a rather sweet song, feeling like the closest thing to a straight up love song on the album. A ripper.
Next, a bit of a departure. “Disco” is by far the brightest song on the album. Still retaining the fuzz without some of the bite found on the songs before, this one’s a dancer. It’s fun, pure and simple. With huge synths, a bright, simple guitar part, a chorus that almost feels Beatle-esque, the song ultimately feels satirical, lyrics about dancing as disassociation, showcasing that the band in all their coolness doesn’t take themselves too seriously. The song is meant to be a good time and it succeeds as such.
The next song, “Right Here,” hints at the band’s future as one of the great Denver psych-rock bands. The songs that come before do so as well but this one feels bigger, cosmic, a song about what’s right in front of you that feels like it’s being beamed into your brain from some other plane of existence. The first two minutes or so are san lyrics. Instead, there is this great build featuring the band’s propulsive inclinations growing as Hues vocalizes from on high. The lyrics come eventually, Edwards’s vocals this hard hitting croon that feels like it was ripped straight from the night. It leads to this big, ethereal chorus that sweeps you up and sends you careening through the stars, no idea where “Right Here” might be anymore.
“Oolala” is up next. This one might be the most straight up “pop” of the album. Pardon the pun, but it has this pop to it, this almost stop and go feel that really makes you want to shake your shoulders. It’s still fuzzy, featuring some notably chunky guitar parts. It’s upbeat, sexy, features some very cool instrumentation (the bassline really really stands out, ties the whole song together) and made me feel happy which I could always use more of these days.
“Wantin’ Somethin'” brings the enigmatic vibe back. Darker than the song that preceded it, it does retain a rather lusty feel, Edwards singing about whips and chains and attention. The song feels like longing, like lust, the craving that comes when you know that you and your partner want the same thing. It features an almost disco chorus but in a way that’s bastardized, glitz and disco balls removed in favor of something more primal. The song culminates in an almost disorienting, orgiastic way, the distortion on the guitars thrown into overdrive, the keys bright yet droning, Hues ethereal vocals swirling around as Edwards croons “I want something/I want it so bad.” Damn good song.
I believe every desert psych-rock band is obligated to have a song that involves a car in some fashion. “Drive” is Chroma Lips entry into that storied tradition. The song rips, a worthy addition to a tradition arguably formed all the way back in 2002 with Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf. The song does capture the disorienting feeling of being on the road for too long. Led vocally by Hues as Edwards plays some of the most interesting guitar parts on the album, the song crushes, most likely the heaviest of the collection.
“Obi Strip” is the album’s penultimate song. Completely instrumental, the song is a rather tight jam. It feels improvisational, effects added unexpectedly as the guitar goes where it wants. The rhythm section (Dan Birkbeck and Callum McCance) really shines here. That bass and those drums are locked in, holding things together whenever they threaten to get off track. It’s another hypnotizing one, a song to close your eyes and give yourself over to, let yourself be taken by. It’s a hell of a ride.
Finally, Chroma Lips debut album comes to an end with “Santa Fe.” The song is a trippy piece of desert rock, the guitar doing this almost wavering thing that feels like the way your vision waves when staring at distant heat. It makes you feel the sand burning your toes, the wind unkind and uncaring, the road ahead uncertain. The song — and the album as a whole — serves as a reminder that if you ever find yourself lost in the desert, Chroma Lips are here to lead you through.
Stream chromaZone here!
For physical copies, check out the band’s merch page here!
