Coloured Clocks releases ‘Rare Bird’ LP

Since 2011, Coloured Clocks has been the developing musical project of Australian artist James Wallace, walking a creative path that’s taken him from Melbourne to Cologne and, ultimately, London. Across that journey, the project has delivered a prolific catalogue while continually shifting its sound, allowing each stage to add another facet to an output unlike any other. There’s an appealing sense of movement at the heart of Coloured Clocks which sees the project move across a range of genres, drawing its character from the collision of different textures and moods.

Psych-tinged art pop provides the broadest description, but within that framework are melodic songs that can move towards funky grooves, ambient atmospheres or spacey psychedelia. It’s music that feels colourful and thoroughly original, balancing melody with a knack for experimentation and reinvention. That distinctive sound has already found an audience across London, where Coloured Clocks have played venues including Dublin Castle, Bread and Roses, Spice of Life and Nambucca.

The project has also appeared in filmed recordings at UWL and Thin White Duke in Soho, extending its presence beyond the traditional live setting. Alongside those performances, Coloured Clocks have attracted critical acclaim from publications around the world, winning over both listeners and tastemakers with a sound that’s continued to develop since its beginnings.

Now based in the UK capital, James Wallace continues that adventure with Rare Bird, the fourteenth album from Coloured Clocks. The twelve-track outing arrives as the follow-up to last year’s Platypus, adding another chapter to an already impressive discography. The album’s movement between contrasting musical ideas makes the project particularly intriguing; one moment can be shaped by a groove, another by an ambient texture, before the music drifts towards something more psychedelic and transportive.

Opening with “A Life Like This,” the album starts off with the bright flutter of jangly guitar tones as pattering drums injects bursts of energy while James’ expressive voice drifts above to spin alluring melodies. Wrapped in a dreamy atmosphere and stitched with charming melodies, it’s a delightful indie jam that’s unique and truly impossible not to love. “Time is Tight” follows with woozy synth lines, airy guitar chords and softly tapped rhythms as smooth vocal leads drift above to cast an enchanting musical experience that’s at once mellow and subtly energising.

“Phone Answer” arrives with flickering synth pulses and staccato guitar chords as crisp percussion underpins intricate vocal layers while “The Tower of Dreaming” leans into a breezy synth pop scene brimming with bouncy groove and instantly catchy vocal leads. Other highlights on the record include songs like “I Know it’s Not” with its elegant piano-led arrangement and graceful vocals, flowing with lilting rhythmic sway and delicate instrumental flourishes.

“Riverworld” pairs laid back drums with gentle piano chords and playful instrumentation as enticing vocals drift through to arrangement to form a mesmeric musical moment that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face. With “Along the Rhine,” the flashes of pulsing instrumentation and rattling percussion is met by memorable vocal lines to serve up a funky art pop outing that puts Coloured Clocks’ creativity and performance panache on full display.

On “Celebrities,” the uptempo shuffle of drums, pulse of bass and twang of guitar combines to craft a lively backdrop for James’ jumpy vocals, offering an expansive sonic voyage that plays out across six and a half minutes. Closing the album with “Celtic Whistle,” the intimate flow of delicate instrumentation and engaging vocals presents a soothing and truly compelling finale to the superb new album from Coloured Clocks. From Melbourne to Cologne and now London, Coloured Clocks has been defined by change and fourteen albums into the project’s story, James Wallace is still exploring what the project can become in an ongoing sense of discovery that remains central to its charm.

Listen to Rare Bird below