The Technicolors Discuss Latest Release Cinema Sublimina'

Alt-rock band The Technicolors have returned with the release of their fourth album Cinema Sublimina. The latest release is a vessel of feel-good psych-rock and indie-rock that perfectly paints the natural beauty and synergy of Arizona’s wonders. “DJ in Brazil,” one of the album’s experimental dance-funk tracks featuring Mateus Asato, was premiered this week on ALT-AZ 93.3 in anticipation for the Cinema Sublimina release. Among the album’s tracks are other highly acclaimed singles including “Howl,” “Dress Up For You” and “Nightvisions,” which was released last month.

Their latest single “DJ in Brazil” was influenced by the contrast between the unfamiliar lands of Brazil and the Arizona desert:

“We had just returned from being on tour in Brazil, where Austin [Scates] and I had extended our trip after the shows to stay on a farm with some friends. We all ended up back in the studio two days after returning to Arizona, in hopes of capturing some of that dynamic shift between a place so vibrant and unfamiliar and the desert, where we all grew up and that sensation of being on your toes is often hard to come by.”

– Brennan Smiley of The Technicolors

While the LP may not have started out as a concept album, it ended up becoming a story that reflects the dissociation of reality. Tied together, the project’s personal thoughts are a battle between mind and body:

“Cinema Sublimina is a blurry collage of all the moments in life that feel ‘rigged.’ We never intended to make any kind of concept record but we most definitely ended up with a story arc that, to me, sort of reflects the way things feel when you walk out of a movie theater or a play… as if you just witnessed another dimension flash before your eyes. Also the idea of a ‘concept record’ is sort of funny because growing up I’d mostly see it within progressive rock bands or Rush or something. I think once we realized there was a flow and a common theme happening we sort of leaned into it, maybe because it feels like the way people consume music nowadays is much more single-based.”

– Brennan Smiley of The Technicolors

How did you become a band?

BRENNAN: We all just sort of came together in Phoenix. I was writing songs and needed a band and it morphed into the Technicolors after playing some shows.

How do you think this record is different from your past ones?

BRENNAN: It tells more of a story and explores a lot of different themes that relate to each other.

Favorite track on the record and why?

BRENNAN: Mezzanine and Dress Up For You. I like them because they both feel like mini-movies.

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing the album?

BRENNAN: Austin was exploring percussion on “Nightvisions” and he had just laid down a few takes of the cuica, and he started playing a counter rhythm on one of the chrome stools that Bob (Hoag, producer) had lying around his studio. We liked it so much that we put a mic on it and used it for the track. Later we found out that the stool came from the diner on the set of “Twin Peaks”.

What are the dynamics within the band? Who writes the lyrics, who’s in charge of arranging the tunes etc?

BRENNAN: Sean and I write the songs/lyrics and bring them to Scates and Nico and we go from there.

What’s a record that shaped your creativity?

BRENNAN: Pink Floyd – Dark Side of The Moon