THE REDS, PINKS & PURPLES - Acknowledge Kindness

For Glenn Donaldson, the stakes are higher this time: taking on more powerful sonorities without betraying the bittersweet charm of songs that are as quirky and melancholic as they are catchy.

"Acknowledge Kindness" marks a return to the roots of The Reds Pinks And Purples project, back when Donaldson's lonely, aching melodies were steeped in 4AD-style goth-folk, and the pastel hues were hidden beneath a rough, foggy haze.

The first impression is that this time the San Francisco musician, rather than simply pulling a handful of songs at random out of the magic hat from which he keeps producing endless delights in physical or digital-only form (nine LPs in under six years), has focused on a set of stories bound together by a common thread and by a more complex take on the themes he has always touched on with poetic grace: the word "love" recurs only a few times, but from viewpoints as varied as they are deeply empathetic.

Piano and electronic keyboards are responsible for the album's more muted tones, the cascades of acoustic guitar chords are largely set aside, the instrumental palette is decidedly more varied and elaborate, and in several spots it's not hard to spot echoes of the Cure - just the punchier, shoegaze-dark flow of "Heaven Of Love" is enough to evoke (also thanks to certain vocal similarities) the shadow of Robert Smith.

Never has it been so evocative as in the gorgeous instrumental track "Blue Heron Lake", decidedly beyond expectations when the interplay of piano, guitar and drums on "Worthy Of Love" edges close to an intensity reminiscent of American Music Club

Even while betraying the influences mentioned above, both now and in the past, the music of The Reds, Pinks And Purples is distinctive and personal enough to be a reference point in itself, and what "Acknowledge Kindness" once again highlights is the astonishing quality of the songwriting. Set between two of the darkest, most anguished tracks - "Is It You, Or Is It Them?" and the title track - it's easy to spot delights bearing the band's most typical traits ("Houses"), even if this time a decidedly slower, more reflective tone prevails ("Build Love"), often making room for unprecedented sonic suggestions ("New Leaf").

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30/04/2026