The Technicolors are an energetic, ‘90s Britpop-inspired three-piece made up of Brennan Smiley and Sean Silverman on vocals and guitar and Mike ‘Nico’ Nicolette on bass. Ahead of the release of their newest album, Metaphysical, they announced a European tour starting in the United Kingdom and ending in Spain. We chatted with Silverman about the concept behind Metaphysical and their upcoming adventures.
Cliché: On your website, you describe Metaphysical as representative of the space that exists between where you are and where you could be. Could you tell us a little more about this theme?
Sean Silverman: A lot of the inspiration for the record came from the fact that we were an independent band trying to create art larger than ourselves, and then we chased the energy of that. There’s just so much noise out there to cut through, and during that process of creation, you tend to lose yourself.
How do you think your music has evolved since the formation of your band?
A big element that’s changed is bringing the live show to the studio side. We’ve always been a live band first, but we hadn’t really had a recorded representation of that. This new record brings the energy that we love having at the live gigs.
How are you feeling about your European tour? Nervous? Excited?
Incredibly excited. I think there’s a part of us that feels somehow we were supposed to live in Europe all our lives, but we happen to be out here in the desert. We’ve grown up absorbing every ounce of Brit-rock and to be able to perform over there will feel utterly surreal for us.
What do you think is the most memorable live show you’ve played and why?
We had a headlining gig over at this club called Bardot in L.A. It’s hard sometimes to pinpoint what creates the lasting impression in your mind. For me, there was just this unusual undercurrent of excitement from there being a mix of people who had never seen us live before. The show just kind of catapulted from there. I can still remember the entire set.
Do you have any pre-show rituals that you always have to do?
We’ve been known to quote lines from Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams to get people in the right mood. Outside of that, we try to mix it up a bit.
What is your favorite track on the new album? What are you most excited to play live this fall?
My personal favorite is a track called “Impostor.” It’s one of those tunes that came together last minute—right before we were about to hit the studio. I also really dug how simple and powerful the message is in the song. It kind of feels like it stands on its own on the record and that moved me. I’m really looking forward to playing “Congratulations, You’re a Doll” live. People have seemed to really gravitate towards it the few times we’ve gotten to perform the song.
What have been your biggest musical influences?
They’re honestly all over the map. I grew up on a ton of progressive rock from the early ‘70s and that’s always found its way into my playing. Brennan and I had a large dose of Zeppelin when we were little; maybe that’s secretly how we’ve connected so well.
Have any personal experiences influenced your music?
We’ve all grown up on DIY music culture and have taken it upon ourselves to have our hands in every creative aspect of our band. I’m sure that’s played a subconscious role in the music we’ve chosen to create.
If you had to describe your band in three words, what would they be?
Sweaty, sneaky rock.
Who are you listening to at the moment? Any recommendations?
I’ve been listening to The Jam a lot. They’re a great rock band from the late ‘70s. I would highly recommend them. If you haven’t listened to Doves before, go ahead and do that immediately.
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The Technicolors Discuss Their New Album Metaphysical: Image courtesy of Dirk Mai
