A Year in Review, A Track in Rotation
This past year has almost seemed like a resurgence for O'ahu’s music scene.
Countless new music drops from local artists, noteworthy shows and opening slots for national acts—at some point, I almost felt overwhelmed at the amount of concerts I had to buy tickets for. For many people, 2023 was a musical sprint to the finish line.
For Complex Colors, however, it was a year of reflection, of deep breaths, and of stretching for the sprint to come. In the final quarter of 2023, that sprint has started. “Before Your Eyes”, the latest drop from Complex Colors, is an energetic triumph to finish out 2023.
Complex Colors took a break from live performances to focus on studio work with Indie Union Records this year. He took stock of what his musical life was, what he wanted it to be, and carefully considered each step to get himself there. When asked about his improvements in 2023, Micah Gamalog—the mastermind behind the project Complex Colors—said, “I feel like I improved a lot in 2023. I learned how to work collaboratively and efficiently with the team at Indie Union and understanding how I fit in the mix.” He continued on, “With the roll out of BYE I learned what it takes to make a powerful meaningful song and market it to my audience.”
Before Your Eyes is the culmination track, celebrating Micah’s growing experience as a songwriter. Micah collaborated with Caeru, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from San Antonio, Texas. Caeru was a perfect choice in delivering the somber, introspective tone carried by the lyrics. Their quality is perfectly exemplified in their work with Dumb Belles and Little Valentine, two of Caeru’s independent projects based out of Texas.
Before Your Eyes touts the massive drops and soaring instrumentals you’ve come to know from Complex Colors, but still manages to be wholly unique. The tracks keeps one foot in the familiar, and one foot stepping into new territory.
Micah comments on songwriting, “Writing lyrics for this song was a challenge not only because of the subject matter but also because I’m still very much a novice when it comes to songwriting. Luckily, it was a collaborative effort between Sophie (Caeru) and I.” He continues, “Words carry a different type of energy and feel as opposed to synth leads and sound design, I had to find a perfect balance between the two.”
When asked about the somber tone and subject matter, Micah had this to say: “The song touches on the subject of feeling a sense of loss and longing over a relationship that could’ve been.” He continues, “I want people to take away how important it is to to love yourself first and to continue to learn how to love yourself before getting into any sort of relationship, that’s a lesson I had to learn and I’m still learning how to do and I can say that doing that has improved how I show my love for others.”
Complex Colors, in the wake of celebrating his latest release, has already turned to thankfulness and gratitude. “I was really overwhelmed with the amount of support BYE has gotten so far, people who I haven’t talked to since high school have reached out in support since it’s release which is really cool, I feel like this release has set the bar even higher for the next few songs I’m planning on releasing.”
If his latest song is any indication of future quality, it’s safe to say that all of Hawaiʻi is impatient for Complex Colors’ upcoming offerings.
“Before Your Eyes” by Complex Colors was written by Micah Gamalog and Sophia Kurihara. Produced by Complex Colors, with additional production by Tait Lōkahi Naukana Ferge. Exclusive license to Indie Union Records. Art Director & Photography by Michelle Chan, and cover modeling by Jade Lun (Miss Hawaiʻi International 2023).
“Before Your Eyes” by Complex Colors is available to stream everywhere you get your music.
WRITTEN BY: PACO COULSON
PHOTOS BY: MICHELLE CHAN
