The self-titled album from Night’s Bright Colors shows a shimmering, hooky range of harmonious rock and power-pop. The project comes via Asheville, N.C.-based artist Jason Smith, whose songwriting shines throughout — from the vibrant, jangly “The Popular Girl” to the debonair intrigue of “Pollenaise” and orchestral power-pop gem that is “Secret Smile.” The release represents a reimagining of Smith’s favorite tracks from prior releases, many of them self-recordings.
The highlights flow throughout. The string-laden folk balladry of “Portland” represents one of the more understated efforts, showing a sort of Elliott Smith nod aesthetically, while tracks like “The Art of Misdirection” recall high-quality late ’90s indie-rock in the vein of The Shins and The New Pornographers. The songs vary in their aesthetical range from power-pop to rock and folk, though are consistent in their knack for hooky punches and top-notch production, courtesy of Kevin Boggs (Fashion Bath).
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“Group Therapy” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of November 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
