The album starts with a muffled synth and bass, as the bass slowly becomes more upfront and the music gets less muffled you are thrown into a state of harmony as the upbeat rhythm and uplifting lyrics push your speakers, asking for more volume. The first song, the title track, “Colors,” spends its time in the headspace of someone wanting their ex-lover back after a breakup, attempting to break through the walls of their ended relationship “…and go right through/ walls we made…” and while the ex-lover never shows interest back in it, the song portrays the beauty of falling back in love with someone, even if it isn’t for the best. It illustrates hope, the beautiful colors of love and feelings.

It then kicks off the next song, “Seventh Heaven” with a synth, coming it with a laid-back guitar lick and a snare-popping beat on the drums that just gives you that feeling of walking with a purpose, before dropping a few of the instruments for the pre-chorus (“Oh, can I stay here with you?” being sung or “Don’t tell nobody I’m here”) to add a more togetherness feel when all of the instruments come back together for the chorus and post-chorus, tagging the hook “…In your seventh heaven, now you gotta let me know” with some lyrical changes for variety. A Seventh Heaven is a state of pure happiness that is found in a couple religions, which is a feeling Beck shoots towards and hits with this love song about a relationship he wants to keep hidden, but his feelings of joy when he’s around them keep him going. They use the same simple in/out tricks with the instruments to add variety throughout the rest of the song, which is a great device to get that done.

Then, a tad bit heavier (not a whole lot in any sense, but in relation to the other songs) playing off of the guitar more than the synth and drums, he continues into the song “I’m So Free” which uses a lot of the similar in/out tactics with the drums and backup synth/piano. A song literally written with the purpose of releasing yourself from your chains and making yourself, well, you, it’s lyrics push many positive monikers, which just prove the thought that this album is one to keep you in a positive mood. Many of the songs follow this sort of pattern with great, positive, and reassuring lyrics. Single “Dear Life” being a bit more melancholy and driving on the piano part, it and “Wow” are some of the few that, while not the happiest, maintain the idea of a happy song. 

Speaking of “Wow,” it breaks the album’s structure, a lot, and in some ways, Beck’s structure. In this song Beck tries to make a rap song, and even though I praise this album, this song deducts a couple points. Granted I push for artists to bend genres a little to get creative, but this specific song that Beck has attempted to make just feels…well… empty. The beat is, while different, really thin and the song is full of unnecessary sound effects that don’t add to the already then backing beat, and kind of throws a wrench into the turning gears of the rest of the album. 

One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was that, even though the rhythm section in this album is subpar, it works perfectly, and it’s near absence isn’t even noticed. Even though I dislike one track on the album, I highly suggest “Colors” by Beck to get you hyped up, giving it 8/10 paint splotches.