Surf Rock The Colony House Way

Bruce Von Stiers

They call their music “landlocked surf rock.” That's even a title of one of their songs. They are a quartet of indie rock artists who call themselves Colony House.

The band has a new album out titled The Cannonballers. It was released on the Roon Records label. The album has eleven songs and a play time of thirty-three minutes.

The band is made up of brothers Will and Caleb Chapman, along with Scott Mills and Parke Cottrell. Caleb does the lead vocals, Will is the drummer, Scott is on guitar and Parke is on bass.

The band is based in Nashville. Will, Caleb and Scott have been playing music together since about 2009. Parke just came into the band a few years ago. Scott and Parke knew each other from their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Will and Caleb are from Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, and a hub for Contemporary Christian music. Their father is multi-Grammy and Dove Award winning Contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman.

The first song on the album has smile effecting lyrics with head-bobbing and toe-tapping music. It is the short, fast paced Landlocked Surf Rock. It sets the tone for this being a fun to listen to album.

Would Ya Could Ya is another fast-paced song. It asks if they want to run away with him.

The title track, Cannonballers, has a cool kind of ‘60's throwback sound. Slick vocals and head-bopping music make this a really cool song.

Things slow down with a tiny bit with the great indie rock ballad Trying To Survive.

One of Those Days is a toe-tapper that has lyrics about having a bad day and trying to get it together.

Everything is a great love song. Mellow vocals can be found in most of the song, but they kind of gets louder and more pronounced near the end.

Don't I Know You seems to have a sliver of ‘60's pop in the music.

Man On The Run is a slower paced song. He's looking for some place where he can fit in.

Don't Give Up On Me is a solid ballad.

Do You Ever Feel is a great song with a strong drum backbeat and terrific vocals.

The album closes with I'm Not Dying. It is a light and melodic song about not living like he should.

I wasn't too sure what to think about a band that labeled their music “landlocked surf rock.” But I found that I really liked Colony House. And I really liked this album, The Cannonballers. The album has some of that old school surf rock sound blended with modern indie rock flavor. That makes for both an interesting and entertaining combination.

The Cannonballers is available on multiple streaming platforms and at varied physical marketplaces.

To find out more about Colony House and the new album, The Cannonballers, visit http://www.colonyhousemusic.com/

Back to the BVS Reviews Main Menu

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

© 2023 Bruce E Von Stiers