Chameleon Culture

2016 is shaping up to be a huge year for Chameleon Culture: After holing away in the studio to record their upcoming album during last year’s brutal winter, this Boston-based experimental rock band is ready for the spotlight.

Although the band has only been performing since 2014, its members have performed in numerous musical projects together, allowing them to play as comfortably and confidently as bands that have been touring together for a decade. Singer/songwriter Alec Gaston is thankful that this experience has enabled the band’s members to focus more on the creative elements of their sound and on their approach to performance. All of these former projects – experiments in futuristic soul, math rock, fusion jazz, and indie rock – have enabled the band to explore new directions and bring a mixture of sounds to their latest material.

Chameleon Culture describes their sound as “a mouth-full of spiked punch in the front row seat of a Dream-World I-MAX art exhibition,” and they will be taking this bowl of punch as far west as Chicago and as far south as Georgia this spring to tour for their debut album, Between Memories & Imagination, due out sometime this April. Gaston is excited for new fans to become familiar with their “open, raw and cinematic sound,” and thinks that those already familiar with their sound will be surprised by the new styles and arrangements showcased on the album, backed up by an extensive lineup of horns, sax, violin, and more.

After releasing their first single, “Snap Out of It,” in December, the band has returned with a new video for their energetic single “Nothing Special.” This song sets out on an evocative and emotional quest, hoping to capture the transcendent state of bliss found in the work of their biggest influences (Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Elliot Smith). The sheer energy captured in this studio performance bodes well for future Boston concertgoers hoping to catch them at the Weird Folk Festival at Out Of The Blue in Cambridge on February 21st or playing alongside Bedroom Eyes, Backwards Zero, and Mountain Ghost at the Middle East Upstairs on March 20th.

In addition to the album and tour, Chameleon Culture intends to release a series of singles and a brand new EP. It would be a good idea to start listening now, because Chameleon Culture is going to fill 2016 with their signature spiked punch. Check out the video for “Nothing Special” below: - Sound Of Boston