Colour of Sound – When

Self-declared “epic” indie band Colour of Sound sonically explore every hue from grey to vanilla on debut album When. Their brand of mid-tempo, inoffensive bland-pop would have probably hooked a fair few ears had it emerged a decade ago, when such things were temporarily all the rage, the style’s popularity likely allowing Colour of Sound a slot somewhere just beneath Lowgold and Haven.

But the zeitgeist’s shed its skin several times since then, and Colour of Sound just aren’t interesting enough to impress on their own merits. The title track comes closest to capturing that eyes-closed, lump-in-throat feeling that they seem to be aiming for, but it fails to find second gear, chugging along drearily. Elsewhere, there’s a slither of silver lining in closer Don’t You Know When It’s All Over? and Here It Comes Again, which could pass for early Stereophonics, but synesthetically speaking, When sounds like beige. [Chris Buckle]