“The comeback we all needed.”
And indeed, the swaggering lead single finds The Technicolors in fine form, a taunt blast of bass-driven groove that struts and shapeshifts as lead singer Brennan Smiley lays down an irresistible falsetto. When he finally drops into his natural voice for the chorus, it’s tough to resist the song’s charms.
Smiley says that while the band took some downtime after 2021’s “Cinema Sublimina,” they weren’t consciously trying to step away or take any hiatus.
“To us, we were always writing and working on the record and really staying in the flow,” Smiley told the New Times. “And then we realized after the fact, oh, it's been, like, 4 years.”
Still, after a time away and the “Cinema Sublimina” album cycle cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Smiley is amazed at the positive response they’ve received with the new tunes.
“There's always a bit of mystery when you’re putting something out, wondering how it’s going to be received,” said Smiley. “I think we were all just so excited and proud of the album we made that we would have been stoked to put it out, no matter the response.”
“But it’s just so pleasantly surprising to see people reacting so well to the music, it really adds fire to the candle to just keep pushing.”
After working up the songs for two years, the band made “Heavy Pulp” in Los Angeles, bringing in GRAMMY-nominated producer Robert Adam Stevenson (Queens of the Stone Age, The Kills) and BRONCHO’s Nathan Price to play the drums. The record is a refreshing blast of rock and roll energy, perfectly blending the band’s early neo-garage swagger with a muscular, modern sound.
“Working with Robert was one of the best parts of making this record, because as a band we've always kind of been inspired in way too many different directions, so we’re always tried to smooth that out when making our other records,” said Smiley. “But this time, we trusted Robert to be the voice of reason, and we just worked on throwing paint at the wall, and he really helped us carve some kind of image out of all that paint.”
The Technicolors first gained momentum in the Phoenix music scene in the early 2010s, and the band's members (guitarist Sean Silverman, bassist Nico Nicolette, and Kim Vi on synths) are now scattered around the country, including in LA and Nashville. But with every album since their 2012 debut “Listener,” the Technicolors have honed and zeroed in on their sound, so “Heavy Pulp” arrives with their signature sound both fully intact and further expanded.
Songs like “Chump Change” and “Alpha Alpha Alpha” are alive with a playful energy, bristling with distorted riffs and charging drums, like a funkier Death from Above 1975, while “Softcore” and “First Class to Nowhere” offer a brooding sparkle that mixes some melancholy with their trademark swagger.
Smiley says he is especially proud of late-album standout “Aphantasia,” which he said shook him out of a prolonged writer’s block.
“And I wrote it at a time when I was just kind of uninspired and I felt like I was fighting for my own imagination,” said Smiley. “I feel like the human imagination is kind of under attack right now, and it’s hard to tune out all the noise and create something.”
“To me, that song is about finding your imagination and your spark, and sort of soaking in that future nostalgia,” he said. “I know sometimes nostalgia is a dirty word, but I like to think of it as feeling nostalgic for this moment right now, like you are really living and appreciating the place you are now.“
To celebrate the release of “Heavy Pulp,” The Technicolors are doing a three-city album release, hitting Valley Bar in downtown Phoenix on August 30, bookended by performances in LA and New York City.
“With these shows, we wanted to play some smaller venues and just really make them into special moments,” said Smiley. “Sometimes in the blur of a big tour, when you are spending so much energy on traveling and living that strange lifestyle, you can lose focus on how amazing these shows can be.”
“And that’s what we really want out of these shows, a chance to make some memories and appreciate where we are now.”
Future nostalgia, indeed.
The Technicolors play with Jo Alice at Valley Bar on Saturday, August 30, 2025. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show begins at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 day of the show — 16 and older welcome.
