Today, Buffalo-based groove rock quartet Aqueous has released the Wave 1 EP, following their announcement last week that their newest studio album, Color Wheel, is on its way. Wave 1 includes the first three tracks off of Color Wheel; “Second Sight”, “How How You Fly”, and “Realize Your Light”, with two more Waves expected to be released before the formal release of the band’s LP. The new album, the band’s first full-length studio effort since 2014’s Cycles, is set for an October 12th release. Aqueous’ Color Wheel will be released via digital platforms as well as on vinyl.
The first track, “Second Sight”, opens up with a cosmic, groovy intro, before guitarist Mike Gantzer jumps in with his smooth vocals, backed by a steady beat laid down by Evan McPhaden on bass and Rob Houk on drums. Aqueous then moves into a heavy rock segment with Gantzer shredding away on guitar, as multi-instrumentalist David Loss continues to lay down the cosmic synthy-grooves, before Ganzter brings it all back together with the chorus. The second track, “How High You Fly”, starts off with a heavier tone, as Gantzer continues to shine on vocals and displays his dynamic range, hopping around from different keys as his band provides the perfect harmonies. Coming out of the main theme of the song, Aqueous moves in and out of their blissful twilight zone, with hints of hard-rock sprinkled in with Gantzer’s badass guitar work. The third and final track of Wave 1, “Realize Your Light”, opens up with an upbeat, trancey groove, moving into the verse’s slow and powerful buildups into the chorus. Gantzer soars into a solo, with some angel-like harmonies layered behind McPhaden and Houk’s infectious rhythm section, as the song slowly fades out.
Aqueous shared the following about the first three tracks off Color Wheel, dubbed as Wave 1.
“Second Sight” deals with the concept of doing everything one can to put aside petty differences and looking for those linings of hope and connection that every human inherently shares, despite living in such divided times. It’s also about appreciating and feeling grateful just to be alive and using that level of gratitude to try to shed cynicism; it’s about connecting with people and recognizing each of our roles in the division and working towards bridging those gaps where possible.”
“How High You Fly” is a tribute to a friend we lost to the grips of addiction. The song, lyrically and musically (re-worked entirely for Color Wheel), represents the concept of this person, after passing away, finally being free of their worldly struggle and suffering from addiction; how they could somehow “start again” unshackled by that experience. It goes on to conceptualize that they could, in some way, even connect with other people they knew in life that also passed, but ultimately recognizes that this thought might simply be a comfort to those still here, dealing with the loss themselves.”
“Realize Your Light” is a hopeful message of positivity that life is far too short to not live it to the fullest potential, and that if one can recognize their purpose, they could likely achieve anything. It considers the idea that regardless of one’s circumstance, where they have been, and where they are going, that somewhere in the struggle, there’s a path and a calling out there for each person.”
Guitarist Mike Gantzer explained regarding the band’s decision to present the new album with three waves of batched releases,
There’s a certain continuity to this entire album, and it unfolds in a way that makes the track order important for the experience – there’s an underlying narrative happening throughout the lyrics and themes, and the overarching theme of the story is a strong sense of optimism through the struggle of the realities of life. For this reason, we wanted to release the album in waves, ultimately, to give people a chance to settle into each section of the album and digest it thoroughly before diving into the next.
Aqueous is also up to some good charity work, joining forces with their hometown Buffalo Niagra Waterkeeper, for an event promoted as the “Give BAQ” river cleanup. The event takes place Saturday, September 15th at Buffalo’s Cazenovia Park, starting at 10 a.m. The community is invited to help pick up trash and debris along the banks of the river, along with hometown heroes, Aqueous. With a $20 donation, fans will receive an exclusive “Give BAQ” t-shirt, with all profits from the day benefitting Buffalo Niagra Waterkeeper. For more information on the event, head here.
You can pre-order for Color Wheel on vinyl now via the band’s Bandcamp page here. See below for a full track listing:
In support of the new record, Aqueous will also embark on their most extensive headlining tour to date. Find a full list of dates below with more information available via the band’s website. You can check out a list of Aqueous’ upcoming tour dates below:
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