ELECTRIC HIGH – Colorful White Lies

Apollon Records were kind enough to hand me a copy of this raw and raunchy debut offering by the Bergen-based hard rockers known as Electric High, and I am eternally grateful to them for that as this groove-laden, catchy, and energetic record ticks a lot of the boxes for me and puts me in a friggin’ good mood.

Laced with late sixties/early seventies influences and harboring heart, soul, and charm, Colorful White Lies echoes the greats of the past while also coming across as a fresh new entry in the world of kick-ass rock and a rather dynamic and muscular-sounding one at that. Imagine Rival Sons and Aerosmith anno 1974 getting together for a jam and then deciding to invite friends such as Dirty Honey, Black Stone Cherry, and maybe even Jimmy Page and Pepper Keenan for good measure . . . and just maybe that will sort of indicate where we are at with this passionate and upbeat album. Not every song is a winner with “Wasted” being particularly unremarkable, but big, fat, and meaty tracks such as the affecting “Go Easy on My Heart” and the high-octane “Cyclone” rule. Other standouts include the title track and “Harder to Justify.” Did I mention that Olav Iversen of SAHG fame is in charge of the vocals? What more could you possibly want?!

This one will surely delight fans of vintage-inspired hard rock (and powerful alternative rock for that matter) and warrants repeated listens, and it contains an uncompromising vibe that is utterly appealing. Should you want innovation and originality then you need to look elsewhere. The rest of you ought to dig in and DIG IT!