Premiere: Color Theory's "This Whole Nothing" Dwells in Radiant Synthwave Dreams

Synthwave mainstay Color Theory returns with the entrancing “This Whole Nothing,” taking listeners on a pulsing, immersive, and introspective journey through the mind’s eye.

Stream: “This Whole Nothing” – Color Theory

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/745157860?secret_token=s-1Qv0U” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

Sometimes silence is the answer to the question, “Are you happy?”

Long before Stranger Things shepherded the 2010s synth pad revolution, Brian Hazard’s Color Theory was dwelling in the depths of ’80s sound. Debuting in 1994 and actively releasing music for the past 26 years, Color Theory has been a mainstay of the synthwave genre over the past three decades, independently releasing thirteen albums to date whilst somehow always finding new ways to highlight the glorious synthesizer. His latest entrancing single “This Whole Nothing” takes listeners on a pulsing, immersive, and introspective journey through the mind’s eye.

This Whole Nothing - Color Theory — This Whole Nothing – Color Theory

It flickers in the empty space
It sparkles in the air
When nothing’s really there
I take this moment as a gift
Exactly how it is
And feel a subtle shift

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “This Whole Nothing,” half of Color Theory’s new double-A side single “This Whole Nothing”/”Juggernaut.” A moody candle-burner, “This Whole Nothing” invites us to look inside ourselves and dwell in the deep end of thought: To embrace, rather than run from solitude.

Color Theory grows from softly-sung verses out to a delicate, provocative falsetto-driven chorus as he basks in his own domain; we might imagine him sitting all by himself in a dimly-lit room as he croons the chorus, his voice caressed by a mesmeric swarm of swirling synths:

This whole nothing is mine
Sometimes silence is fine
It’s fine

““This Whole Nothing” is one of those songs that people will read into as they will,” Brian Hazard tells Atwood Magazine. “The lyrics are just vague enough to be universal. My inspiration was the spacious emptiness one experiences when the voice of the mind quiets and the world can be seen as it truly is.”

Hazard is right: His personal experience of the self, while a solid driver of the song, does not define the audience’s experience of the song. We don’t need to fully understand his relationship with his own inner sanctum, in order to bask in our own unique “empty space.” The beauty of synthwave in 2020 is that it (now) feels not only “retro,” but utterly nostalgic — a quality that only further enhances Color Theory’s impact. Whether you’re looking to clear your mind or delve into something deeper, “This Whole Nothing” is a surefire way to facilitate reflection — to help us step away from the present moment, and take some time to be by ourselves.

Stream Color Theory’s latest song exclusively on Atwood Magazine!

Stream: “This Whole Nothing” – Color Theory

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/745157860?secret_token=s-1Qv0U” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

— — — —