After a hefty wait, post-hardcore band The Color Morale has returned in a big way.
The Rockford, Illinois outfit was dormant for more than half a decade before taking the stage in June of 2023 at So What Music Festival. Now that the cobwebs have shaken and the five-piece is motivated, fans have a lot to be excited for. On January 13th, The Color Morale played their first hometown show in seven years at The WC Social Club in West Chicago, IL, along with For The Fallen Dreams, Of Virtue, Boys of Fall, and These Fading Visions. A cathartic return to form, the band played their longest setlist to date at fourteen songs that spanned their entire discography.
During the performance, vocalist Garret Rapp shared details on what’s to come for The Color Morale. Rapp mentioned that long-awaited new music from the band is being recorded in 2024 and that he “can’t wait to get back into the vocal booth”. In addition, this won’t be the last time we see The Color Morale take the stage – the band mentioned that they would love to make this winter-time show an annual event. The WC Social Club’s owner previously worked Mojoe’s in Joliet, IL, a metal mainstay in the early 2010s that showcased The Color Morale – it’s always great to see these long-standing relationships pay dividends for fans.
There’s always the chance for The Color Morale to play some more pop-up shows in the interim, but Garret confided in the audience that all the members of the band are leading outstanding, dedicated lives outside of music now. With their commitments in place, it’s still fantastic to see their passion and talent for performing and an annual basis makes the most sense. Dozens of fans shouted back every word and the group stayed at the venue until 2:30 in the morning to talk with each and every fan that wanted to.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard Garret deliver some new vocals – the last time was in a feature on the stellar Galleons record in 2021. Since then, Garret has posted some teasers on his Facebook and it’s evident that the band is aching to get some more tunes out. The last release, a series of covers in Artist Inspiration Series, marked the most recent offering in 2017. As the pandemic began in 2020, the band also mentioned they were writing for their sixth album, but understandably, were radio silent up until the June 2023 performance and a cancelled Blue Ridge Rock Fest appearance.
Make no mistake, The Color Morale haven’t hung it up yet – and they might never. With drummer Steve being a part of Senses Fail, guitarist Devin touring with Wage War, guitarist Aaron being a successful tattoo artist, bassist Mike being a family man, and Garret pursuing his love of motocross and graphic design, the five found their time to make it work on January 13th and it’s surely not the last we’ll see of them. The Color Morale are back, and it looks like the only people more stoked for the return than the fans are the band themselves.
