The Technicolors
After a four-year stretch of creative regrouping, Arizona-born rock band The Technicolors return with a quietly stunning new single, “First Class to Nowhere,” featuring GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham — and it might be the most emotionally raw moment of their career so far.
The track, out today, is a delicate detour from the band’s usual widescreen fuzz — a hushed, aching duet that feels like a whispered confession between two people drifting in different directions. While much of the band’s upcoming album Heavy Pulp (due August 29 via SoundOn) leans heavily into muscular riffs and sonic maximalism, “First Class to Nowhere” slows things down with eerie restraint.
Frontman Brennan Smiley describes it as “a ‘get well soon’ card to myself, and to anyone else who needs one.” Smiley, whose lyrics often hide behind surreal characters or ironic detours, calls this song the most vulnerable he’s ever written. “It was important for this one to feel as naked and honest as possible,” he says. “And I’d be lying if I said that came easy.”
The track’s strength lies in its quiet tension — the back-and-forth between Smiley and Cunningham feels personal and unfinished, like a conversation that never quite resolves. It’s a striking counterpoint to earlier singles from Heavy Pulp, including the glam-tinged “Posh Spice,” the blistering “Softcore,” and the sneering swagger of “Gold Fang.”
Produced by Robert Adam Stevenson (Queens of the Stone Age, The Kills), the album also features Nathan Price of BRONCHO on drums. Smiley will spend part of the summer on the road with BRONCHO as their touring guitarist, while The Technicolors prepare to debut Heavy Pulp with a trio of release shows in Los Angeles (Zebulon, Aug. 29), Phoenix (Valley Bar, Aug. 30), and Brooklyn (Sultan Room, Sept. 5) — with support from Jo Alice. Tickets are on sale now.
The band — Brennan Smiley, Sean Silverman, Nico Nicolette, and Kim Vi — haven’t released a full-length since 2021’s Cinema Sublimina, and after years of relentless touring, they made the conscious choice to step back. In that time, their catalog quietly exploded, racking up over 100 million streams on Spotify alone, a testament to the slow-burn strength of their fanbase.
The Technicolors’ musical identity has long defied easy classification, seamlessly moving between lo-fi dream-pop, snarling garage rock, and desert-soaked Britpop. As Heavy Pulp approaches, it’s clear they’re not looking to land neatly in any one lane — instead, they’re carving out their own.
“Being a rock band actually feels possible again,” Smiley said. And on “First Class to Nowhere,” The Technicolors prove that even in their softest moments, they still know how to land a punch.
STREAM “First Class to Nowhere” here
PRE-SAVE Heavy Pulp here
FULL TOUR DATES here
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