For those among us from Winnipeg, Canada, the cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota are often viewed as our de facto American sister cities, especially for concerts and shopping. (Hello Mall of America, Electric Fetus and Cheap-O Records!) Having gone down for more shows and visits than I can count, the Twin Cities certainly hold a special place in my heart. With this affinity in mind, it is with great pleasure that I highlight Minneapolis band Color TV and their Demo 7″ as today’s Record of the Day.
Color TV is something of a supergroup of Minneapolis rockers. Featuring members of The Retainers, W.H. Walker and Cheap Time, the band has an auspicious family tree.
They originally released this demo in early 2015, followed by a 7″ of different studio recordings on BC’s Deranged Records in mid-2016. Later that year, UK-based Drunken Sailor Records picked up the original demo EP and gave it a 7″ re-release.
While the 7″ has unfortunately sold out, you can still download it from Bandcamp. And thankfully, the band have had a couple more solid releases since then – most recently, a compilation of live shows on cassette for Record Store Day 2018 – which are still available in limited quantities.
In keeping with the fact that we’re talking about a demo recording, the sound here is raw and uninhibited. A little bit garage, a little bit punk, and a little bit power pop, the four songs on the EP are high energy, fun, and catchy – in short, the perfect introduction to the band.
Clocking in at a little less than 10 minutes, Color TV’s Demo is sure to win over fans of bands like Buzzcocks, The Clash and The Exploding Hearts.
Check out Color TV’s Demo EP below, then head over to their Bandcamp page to grip copies of their other releases!
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