Bora York shares ‘Colorado’

American duo Bora York release their new single ‘Colorado’ on 12 September via Anthem Falls Music. Mastered by Darren Vermaas (The National, Mumford and Sons, Vampire Weekend), the track features bassist Ian Allison (touring bassist for Eric Hutchinson, Jeremy Messersmith) and is lifted from their upcoming album Emotion Vertigo. The track has just hit #1 on Soundcloud’s New & hot: Indie playlist. The husband and wife duo have already garnered the attention of Clash Magazine, Interview Magazine, Earmilk, PopMatters, Indie Shuffle, All Things Go Music, Come Here Floyd and The Music Ninja, and have racked up over 2.4 million streams between Youtube and Spotify. Bora York have played alongside Dublin’s Kodaline, The Dig, Mates of State, Hippo Campus. Their music has also been featured on ABC, USA Network, MTV, NBC, CBS, and Fox, on popular television shows such as Mr. Robot, The Middle, and Criminal Minds, as well as advertising campaigns for multinational companies Target, Subaru, KIA, Buick, Facebook and SiriusXM.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Chris and Rebekah Bartels are the driving force behind Bora York. The project originally had its inception as a music school senior project for Chris.  Hundreds of demos and three albums later, Bora York is a fully-fledged synth-pop act with a string of successful releases in their wake. The four and a half years of writing the upcoming album were far from a smooth process, especially for Chris, Bora York’s most involved songwriter and producer. In a seemingly endless creative funk, he considered the idea of calling it quits on the project entirely. However, a turning point came when he stepped back and realized he had let his worries and insecurities of what Bora York “should or shouldn’t look like.” This process of ups and downs lead to the creation of a collection of songs spanning an entire spectrum of emotion, thus giving the album title, Emotion Vertigo, its place. It was a passionate step back to what it’s all about – the music.

Citing inspiration from bands such as Toro y Moi, J.Views, Tame Impala, Night Moves, Bon Iver, Novo Amor, Tourist, Bora York’s sound is as vast as their influences. However, ‘Colorado’ draws parallels to the passionate vocal structures of Chelsea Cutler, blended with the pop sensibilities of Kygo.

The track maintains an effervescence and danceability that immediately rouses the senses, but it is the real emotion in the track that never gets old. An ode to the energetic live shows of the band’s earlier days, ‘Colorado’ is moving in more sense than one – a hypnotically groovy dance floor composition that radiates positivity and nostalgia. 

Chris gives some history of the track: “I spent a year in Denver when I was 20 and it still feels like a second home, even though it’s been a while since I lived there. I’m personifying Colorado in this song – it’s a metaphor for letting go of worry, living life to the fullest. “Now I’m breathing in slow motion” – this is about not letting meaningful moments pass you by without cherishing them, soaking them in.”

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