Scrolling through the Facebook of Melbourne's Red Ink, you're sure to find a bunch of images reminiscent of the '90s and pop culture (a Dawson's Creek cast portrait worthy of a mention). Therefore, it's no surprise that listeners get hints of '90s pop in the band's new EP The Colour Age.
The musicality of the indie pop group is admirable. Rolling drums set the tone for most of the EP with key guitar strumming that really brings songs to life. The opener, Empty Town, is a perfect example of this; the boys have utilised a steady beat, light choral singing and atmospheric theremin tones in the first verse before the basic but effective guitar strums throughout the remainder of the song. The pace is quickened again in Young Lovers of Stockholm, implementing a chorus that could have fallen directly out of the 1990s. It's a great toe-tapping change of pace.
A real strength of the EP is the closing track Promises, a touching tune about the pregnancy of a teenage girl. This is one of the only moments where the lyrics outweigh the musicality of the song, genuine emotion is really transparent and real (“Promise me you'll keep it/Promise me you'll love it”). This would be the only real criticism of the other four songs, on occasion the corny lyrics seem to fall a bit flat. Otherwise, the music itself is great. Recording by the beach was the right decision; it's a great step in the atmospheric pop direction.
