Solid State Records
September 16
Words by Kyra Jade-Coombs
The Devil Wears Prada have been busy recording their eighth full-length album that’s due to be released on Friday, September 16 through Solid State Records.
Since forming in 2005 we’ve heard all kinds of offerings from the band. Their newest album Color Decay is no exception. Each song gives you something different from the one before, changing the albums direction. Don’t come at this album expecting Plagues or With Roots Above and Branches Below, you’re not going to get it. Play it front-to-back lending fresh ears and you may be surprised about what you hear. You’ll find yourself on a journey and not one that leaves you feeling down. You feel like you’ve come out the other end with them, stronger.
I like to listen to albums without any context, then go back and see what I can find out about it. After listening to Color Decay, all’s I could think was ‘Oh no, who broke you?!’. It’s got this haunting, sad feeling throughout that doesn’t really let up. On the album you’ll find songs heavy with instruments and deep synths, where the vocals take a softer approach and tracks like Watchtower that will give you that heavy fix!
Exhibition starts you off with a driving drum beat that gets you ready for the adventure ahead. A little synthy, a bit of rock – all in all a catchy song. A good start to the album, certainly isn’t all this album has to offer.
Salt is an emotional sounding song “pour the salt into the wound”. Doesn’t exactly pop off, gives you something to get sad and sing your heart out to.
Watchtower. This song is fast paced and gets you moving from the start. The film clip is set inside a prison and is basically about giving your all to someone. Possibly too much and feeling stripped bare. “I climbed the stairs, and we grew apart”.
Broken kinda sounds like the song you’d play in your car…. doing that scream/ sing/ cry thing. A song about self- discovery and being ‘messy’ mentally.
Sacrifice is about being pushed over the edge and essentially sacrificing yourself for someone else’s shit. The track has this haunting sound that rings throughout and accompanies the film clip well. Towards the end of the film clip you see Mike Hranica lose his shit and just let loose. The camera spins around Mike standing still and it feels like the world is around him closing in on him. I enjoyed this one.
Time makes me reflect on how far this band has come. If someone gave this to me without context, I wouldn’t guess TDWP. I do like it though this is a strong song on the album. In the film clip Jeremy DePoyster and Mike Hranica stand in the middle of these chaotic black cloaked figures that surround them faceless. I can only assume that this represents being up in your head mentally and your battles within. Time captures this album well.
Twenty- Five starts off with slow and eery, strongly focussed on vocals. An emotional and reflective song that takes you on this story of growing up and all the changes that come with that. The song builds up to a big ending then brings everything back down to planet earth.
Hallucinate is a slow set song to start with, accompanied by nice heavy vocals. I thought this song was going to grow wings and fucking take off, but it went into some epic ‘synthy’ hymn like feel. It’s almost like a cry out for help, I wish this one had a film clip.
Cancer sounds like it’s a 2000’s Sum 41 song. I wish the album was finished on a different song. That could just be personal preference. I just wish it had a stronger to end such an emotional album.
Color Decay will grow on you. It took me a few times listening front-to-back to really appreciate what The Devil Wears Prada are doing. It’s nice to hear an album that links through and makes you really feel what they are going through. There are certainly some dark truths hidden throughout the album, and I’m a big fan of airing out that darkness and really letting go.
Very keen to see what the next chapter will be in their story.
