B-Side Guys

In their latest single “Anywhere at All,” DC-based quintet Color Palette constructs an immersive nocturnal journey that balances shoegaze distortion with pop vulnerability. Led by Jay Nemeyer, the band demonstrates why they’ve earned their Wammie Award and placements with major brands—they understand the delicate alchemy of dream pop’s emotional accessibility and shoegaze’s textural complexity.

The track opens with a wall of fuzzy guitars that establishes both atmosphere and momentum, creating a sonic equivalent of driving through mist—a perfect complement to the song’s lyrical promise of late-night journeys. This instrumental foundation allows Nemeyer’s vocals to float above rather than compete, embodying the contradictory emotional state of being simultaneously untethered and intensely focused.

What makes “Anywhere at All” particularly effective is its rhythmic infrastructure. Where many shoegaze-influenced tracks might obscure the beat beneath layers of reverb, Color Palette employs driving electronic drums that propel the narrative forward. This propulsion mirrors the song’s central theme of devotional momentum—the declaration “I’ll go anywhere at all” becomes not just a lyrical promise but a musical one, with each section pushing into the next with increasing urgency.

The production choices reveal a band that has honed its sound through years of performing alongside established acts like Charli XCX. There’s a masterful balance between the swirling, ethereal synth lead that provides melodic counterpoint and the distorted guitars that create textural depth. This layering creates pockets of clarity within the haze, allowing listeners multiple entry points into the composition.

Lyrically, the track subverts the typical dream pop tendency toward abstraction. The narrative is refreshingly direct: “I’ll pick you up, in my car/No destination near or far/I don’t care, I’ll go anywhere at all.” This straightforward declaration of devotion stands in contrast to the often cryptic approach of the genre. By the time Nemeyer delivers the vivid image “You’re on the front porch waiting/The whole scene looking like a painting,” the listener has been transported into this specific moment of anticipation and fulfillment.

The song’s structure cleverly mimics the journey it describes—beginning with anticipation, building through movement, and arriving at a destination that feels both climactic and open-ended. The chorus repetition of “I’ll go anywhere at all” transforms from promise to mantra to declaration, gaining emotional weight with each iteration.

As the first taste of Color Palette’s forthcoming fall 2025 album, “Anywhere at All” suggests a band that has found the sweet spot between accessibility and artistic evolution. Their previous EP released via Enroute Records in 2023 hinted at this direction, but here they’ve refined their approach with greater confidence. The fivesome utilizes their collective strength to create something that feels simultaneously expansive and intimate—a difficult balance that many of their peers struggle to achieve.

“Anywhere at All” functions as both standalone single and promising harbinger of what’s to come from this Washington, DC outfit. In a genre often preoccupied with detachment, Color Palette has created something urgent and emotionally present—proving that dream pop can be both atmospherically rich and emotionally direct. As listeners await the band’s additional singles and eventual full-length release later this year, “Anywhere at All” provides a compelling invitation to join them on their journey, regardless of the destination.