The Colourful Band - The Colourful EP

The Colourful Band is primarily the work of Ian McKelvie, an Edinburgh resident inspired to song by six months travelling in Australia. If the gap-year biography awakens horrid prejudices against tedious self-appointed nomads, or, worse, fears of Jack Johnson-based inspiration, then you can relax: The Colourful EP is a delight. Think music reminiscent of acoustic Go-Betweens, which, when coupled with poetically simple lyrics such as “my mouth’s just as dry as the Edinburgh sky” create an atmosphere free of pretense. The accented vocal burr and catchy melody of Easter Road recalls a stripped-back Ballboy, while The Falling Leave sounds a lot like Manc troubadour Liam Frost, but through all the similarities what resounds most clearly is the arrival of a promising songwriting talent.