“We want our music to help people heal, escape, dream and be inspired. – Ok Mayday
With the world still settling after a wild 2020, the refreshing timing of Virginia born band- Ok Mayday’s new single “Colorful” has impeccable timing.
The collaborative effort between Ok Mayday, J Warner, Clare Reynolds, and Harmony “H-Money” Samuels was written coming out of a very difficult season in the band’s career and they felt like they had to speak/sing something into the universe to fully embrace it. Collectively they believe you have to manifest it. So it’s their proclamation that change is coming and the best is yet to come!
“It was such an organic process that was actually wrapped up in a two day session with the melodies and lyrics and original production. The post production lasted a few months when real drums were laid down and final vocals were recorded” says Harmony.“The video was a project we did with + Micah Lindsrom + Tyler Johnson. We came up with the initial concept when the full weight of the record hit us in the heart. The song was much bigger than the band and the video needed to reflect that. Having family members and friends involved with the entire artistic expression truly was a dream come true,” says Kelly Bollmann, guitarist.
Virginia based quartet–brothers, David and Kelly Bollmann, Stephen Lee and Matthew Osborn–strike an elusive balance between arena pop, synth- sparked indie, and shoegazing guitar rock. Transformed by this unique song craft the band became sought-after writers behind the scenes with credits including J. Cole’s “Sparks Will Fly (feat. Jhene Aiko)” and Haley Reinhart’s “Some Way Some How”. These projects caught the attention of power-house executive producer Harmony “H-Money” Samuels (Maroon 5, Fifth Harmony, Chris Brown), who subsequently signed them to a production deal.
After embarking on a 30 city national tour the world shutdown and forced Ok Mayday to create their most ambitious music video, “Blossoms”. They invited dozens of friends from around the entire world to film how they were doing life. Coupling these videos with their own quarantined- bedroom performances the band created a music video with over 1.3 million plays.
Now riding this wave of success, their long awaited EP Just A Phantom is releasing this Fall. This six song, extended play captures that elusive, authentic something that hides between analog’s imperfection and the beautiful sheen of pop production. Sprinkled throughout are anthemic jams like “Colorful”, “Good”, and “Stepping Down”, that are sure to be concert favorites. Contrasted by “Human (To Be Scared)”, a song cinematic in melody and thought, while the title track, “Just A Phantom” stirs the pain of unrequited love. David Bollmann’s dreamlike, effortless, almost euphoric croon is featured in “Blossoms”. A voice wandering deftly through chorus and verse, celebrating a profoundly heavy subject, without getting too heavy about it. It’s unmistakable, these friends (and a couple of brothers) have gotten right to the good part: writing catchy, fully-realized, soulful indie that stands apart.
Buy & Stream “Colorful”: https://music.empi.re/colorful.oyd
