You know when you hear about a band for a while, but never really give them the time of day until randomly stumbling upon their Myspace page? Then you figure you will give them a quick listen just to see what they are about, and then immediately upon hitting that play button you start kicking yourself because what you hear is just the musical sanctuary you have been searching for for weeks--if not months--before? Well, that's about how I feel about Tacoma based quintet Colonies right about now. Better late than never, I guess.

I have been hearing about Colonies for on-and-off for a couple of years now, but for some reason their music and I never crossed paths. Late last night I was doing my semi-weekly Myspace search for new artists and shows when I made a discovery. It was a flyer that said "COLONIES: For fans of Modest Mouse." Modest Mouse was not exactly a band I was expecting Colonies to be compared to, so I finally gave in and clicked over to their Myspace page.

Although I do not really agree that their music sounds like Modest Mouse, I do think they are onto something different and new that is just what the Seattle music scene needs. These guys are a refreshment from the flourishing hardcore and pop scenes, while still managing to be catchy enough to have your ears begging for more. This is local indie rock at its finest, and I urge you to give them a listen. You will not regret it.

Apparently I have excellent timing when it comes to band discovering (although I will give Cassidy Myers from QuitMyScene props for promoting these dudes from the beginning), because Colonies' first full-length album drops in two weeks (on December 18th). You can stream the entire album right now on their BandCamp page.

Links:
Myspace.
BandCamp (go here for the full album stream and pre-order).