The project Colored Lights showcases Norwegian musician Frode Strømstad’s approach to intelligent and meticulously shaped pop. It weaves together an array of influences to form a cohesive, melody-driven result. Operating as a studio collective, Colored Lights unites Strømstad with several prominent Norwegian artists whose contributions allow the songs on the self-titled debut LP to embrace sunshine pop, psychedelia, indie rock, and additional styles. The album was tracked in January 2023 and appeared eight months afterward.
Strømstad first earned notice through his role in the popular Norwegian band I Was a King and through his collaboration with Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey in the No Ones. After the death of a close friend and mentor, he entered the studio with longtime associate Bård Ingebrigtsen, who served as producer and engineer, to create music commemorating that loss. Alongside his I Was a King bandmate Ole Reidar Gudmestad, the sessions featured singer and songwriter Frank "Tønes" Tønnesen, Ryan McPhun of the New Zealand group the Ruby Suns, keyboard player Marita Vårdal Igelkjøn, and Tomas Pettersen, drummer with the experimental metal band Ulver. Strømstad assigned the impromptu project the name Colored Lights. While the album received its final adjustments, the band played its first live show at Norway’s Egersund Visefestival on June 30, 2023. The Spanish indie label Bobo Integral released the Colored Lights album in September 2023.
