Earlier this year we didn’t know if California was going to be home anymore with the pandemic and loss of work on my end. With that, I started to look elsewhere. Cheaper, open-minded cities outside of perfect weather. Asheville continued to pop up. A place Color of Light knows well enough being less than 100 miles from the infamous hippie haven. We talked a second about that but mostly about the creativity that’s been happening on his end, including his November 13th release, ‘Daydream Garden.’ Find out more about the record, and what he has planned next below!
Kenda: We haven’t had new music from you in around five years and then your first single out is “My World Ends.” With all of that, can we ask if you were moved to create something good in a year that was anything but?
Color of Light: I think 2020 was definitely an influence on the title of the song with so much uncertainty and unrest in the air. The song was actually finished in 2019 and mainly deals with people I love dying around me, my own inner depression, relationships ending, etc. In all of our conscious minds though, the title made sense for what the future holds.
Kendra: “My World Ends” is something many have thought on repeat since March 2020. With that, do you feel like there is hope moving forward – keep in mind this will likely run after the election.
Color of Light: I think there is a lot of uncertainty. I think it will be difficult for a long time. However, I will try to be hopeful.
Kendra: That single, and more, can be found on your November 2020 release, ‘Daydream Garden.’ If we could visit your garden of daydreams, what sort of plants would be there to represent the overall sound and feel of this record?
Color of Light: Palms, philodendrons, caladiums, and ivy.
Kendra: Hope you went with some plants that give off the dream-pop vibe. This style reminds me of the ‘60s but modernized. Living some 60 miles from a place like Asheville, are you influenced at all by the days of free love?
Color of Light: I think the only thing that’s free in life is the way you choose to see things. So, in a sense, yes, some of the philosophies from that movement I can relate to, but mainly it’s just the psychedelic side of music I naturally connect with.
Kendra: With all that has transpired this year, how do you feel 2020 has shaped your creativity and drive moving forward?
Color of Light: I’m looking inwardly right now. I’m listening to myself and I’m listening to what other people have to say as well now that I’m putting myself out there again after five years. I started work on a new album even before this one was scheduled for release and I may be going down a darker road.
Kendra: Usually, this is where I ask people what they have planned in the coming months but with the world in a strange place right now, plans aren’t as concrete as they typically are. You can go ahead and let us know what you have tentatively planned but can you also share a song that never fails to get you through when the world around you feels like a mess?
Color of Light: “Sunday Morning” by The Velvet Underground comes to mind.
For 2021, I have two EPs finished, ‘Sunkissed’ and ‘Evergreen.’ All the songs on these two EPs were written and recorded during the same time as ‘Daydream Garden.’ Four alternate versions of songs and five new tracks. They’ll come out at the beginning of the year and in the spring.
