Yo listen up—here’s a story about a little guy that lives in a blue world… and it has nothing to do with Eiffel 65. This story is about Oh, Malô, and Part I of their EP: Blue.
Brandon Hafetz, lead singer and songwriter of four-piece indie-rock group Oh, Malô, has pulled a Picasso. Part I is his blue period, and the beginning of the concept album which follows his emotions after a breakup. The two songs on Part I, “Feed” and “Sweet Dreams,” are frozen and slow to melt, layers of ambient vocals and expansive guitars amassing as if watching an avalanche descend toward the base of a mountain. His first words on the album, just stronger than a whisper: “Bring on the chills.”
As Brandon explained, Oh, Malô is named after the walled city of Saint-Malo in France. Though not all of the band members have visited Saint-Malo, he feels their music captures the sense of secluded beauty that exists in the city. “Everything in Saint-Malo looks and feels perfectly pieced together and still. We feel our songs have been pieced together in the same natural and organic way,” he said.
Both “Feed” and “Sweet Dreams” succeed in conveying a feeling of deep loneliness. The spareness and simplicity of the lyrics give way to the swelling power of the darkly textured instruments.
“Our music is very visual and unpredictable,” said Brandon. “Each song is meant to be its own emotional experience and journey through various extremities, both mentally and sonically.”
Speaking of visuals, below are the two official music videos. If you don’t like the color blue, you’re out of luck.
Part II, Red, will come out in December. You guessed it: anger will be the featured emotion. In Part III, due out in January, red will turn to orange and yellow, the songs portraying Brandon’s realization that the breakup was for the better. Look for the entire album to be released in March, including a few previously unreleased tracks.
For now, Blue. Bring on the chills.