Color Theory – Undone

Technical, weird, fascinating: Colour Theory's courage to embrace dissonance

When I first heard Undone by Color Theory, it was clear to me that this was not an attempt to fit into famil­i­ar struc­tures. Instead, a synth pop track unfolds that stands out with its quirky, almost unwieldy sound­scape – and that's entirely intentional.

What grabbed me right away was the tech­nic­al, almost clin­ic­ally pre­cise sound that still man­ages to be emo­tion­al. The effects (Nintendo-esque beat) aren't just embel­lish­ments, they shape the entire char­ac­ter of the song. The bridge and the outro stand out for me in par­tic­u­lar – not because they stand out from the rest, but because they break up the flow of the song and open up new perspectives.

Sure, Undone isn't an easy track to get into. If you're look­ing for catchy hooks or clear struc­tures, you prob­ably won't find them here right away. But that's exactly what I like about this song. I think elec­tron­ic music needs more cour­age to take risks and embrace the unex­pec­ted – and that's exactly what Color Theory deliv­ers without drift­ing into the experimental.

The lyr­ics also touch me. The line "We are alive, we are undone" sums up an ambi­val­ent mood that runs through the entire com­pos­i­tion: this feel­ing of dis­sol­u­tion, of iden­tity blur­ring – it fits the sound­scape perfectly.

Listen to "Color Theory – Undone" on Spotify

Listen to "Color Theory – Undone" on Bandcamp

Lyrics of "Color Theory – Undone"

Where do I end, where do you start?
Our lifeblood flows into one heart
Like shad­ows merge beneath the moon
In silent grace, we are attuned
Are these thoughts yours or are they mine?
Our raw per­cep­tions intertwine

The world a humble prediction
Based on the weight of conviction
Which way is up, which way is down
When there’s no cen­ter to be found
Vision and sound blend into one
We are alive, we are undone

When I close my eyes
There’s no edge

Constructs col­lapse all around me
How could I stand at the boundary
When every sign of what I am
Is all right here, con­tained within
Where thoughts like whis­pers take their flight
To fade into the vacant night

When I close my eyes
There’s no Edge