In Frustration by Ordinary // Colors
With a single guitar echoing over reverb-soaked drums, the second single from Ordinary Colors, In Frustration, returns to the perspective of the singer introducing in the debut single, Pacific Division. In Frustration focuses on the difficulties of coping in a dysfunctional work environment, where “everyone’s trying to speak into empty spaces” and messages become “confused and dissonant” as coworkers compete for attention. Such persistent tension breeds conflict, so the narrator chooses to withdraw from others in order to avoid taking a stance. Trying to seek alone time because living is hard to do.
Ordinary Colors is a continuation of Chee’s previously released solo work, which has been described as “surprisingly gripping and… soothing” in NOW Magazine, “sweet and adorable” in Two Way Monologues, and “the ocean breeze drying your tears” in Wavelength Toronto.
This song has a calming vibe, with soothing vocals meeting floating, laid-back vocal harmonies, and upbeat instrumentals. This is a masterful beginning to their oeuvre, and this song is the ideal way to kick things off. The airy voice and the perfect combination of guitar strums give this song a steady hold.
Justin Chee from ‘Ordinary Colors’ is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, who combines folk, shoegaze, and ambient overtones with lyrics that represent the technique of better grasping oneself and one’s interactions with others in the context of modern concerns and cultural expectations. Chee, who began playing the piano as a child and the guitar as a teenager, composed and played songs by his own name.
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Photo credits: Sandy Wen Pastore
Review by: Peyton Davis
