SLAP Exclusive: Chris O’Bannon Drops 'TRU COLORS' EP
Chris O’Bannon is one of LA music’s best kept secrets, and his ‘T R U C O L O R S’ EP might be the project that changes that. It’s only 5 tracks, but O’Bannon’s latest is a straight masterpiece; highlighting his skills as a vocalist and songwriter.
It’s his first project in over a year after taking some time to focus on other aspects of his career, but the 22-year-old out of Compton is back with an EP that really shows his progression. As always, he delivers a hip-hop and R&B combination that we can promise you aren’t hearing anywhere else
cover art by ChatManDidIt
T R U C O L O R S is a narrative from O’Bannon describing the frustration and turmoil that come with a relationship. This subject matter is nothing new when it comes to hip-hop and R&B, but it's his dynamic vocals and complex lyrics that allow O’Bannon’s sound to stand out from others in the genre.
Production for the EP is mainly handled by GHXST—an east coast producer with over 45k YouTube followers and millions of views. ‘It Ain't Enough’ is the only song with a different producer, Rose Gold. O’Bannon, who produces a lot of his own work, opted to leave production up to other beatmakers and focus his energy on the vocals and mixing of T R U C O L O R S.
In a recent conversation with SLAP, O’Bannon says his musical background is the reason for the distinct style heard on T R U C O L O R S. He’s been at it for over a decade and can do a lot more than sing and rap. He’s an audio production major at San Francisco State University, the head mixing/mastering engineer at AAE Studios and a well-rounded musician who can play guitar, bass guitar and piano.
The project was completely spontaneous; O’Bannon was going through a breakup at the time and says he “had no one to confide in but the mic… I crashed at the studio and woke up with a heart full of songs… Since I engineer too, it was instinct for me to record, mix and master them in about 4-5 hours.”
O’Bannon’s raw emotions are consistent throughout; each song depicts a different side of them during this breakup. We hear a profound bravado on ‘My Chain,’ but a much more vulnerable tone on ‘Take it Back’ which he describes as “me reminiscing about what we had before I did some dirt and she couldn’t love me the same.”
O’Bannon also made a conceptual decision to end every track with an abrupt slow-down of the beat. When asked about this he says, “I used the slowing down as a metaphor for reevaluation and reflection on what’s been said in the song… it’s almost like me accepting it.” These deeper elements of his song making show fans why he has endless potential as an artist.
O’Bannon has visuals in the works for T R U C O L O R S, but recently he’s been focused on live shows in the Bay Area and LA. He throws monthly events in SF called Good Vibes but is also hoping to set up a college tour over the summer. Considering how nice this EP is, he may definitely have that opportunity soon.
For updates on music and shows follow Chris O’Bannon here:
Stream and download T R U C O L O R S here: https://soundcloud.com/chrisobannon/sets/trucolors
