Simple never goes out of style.

The Reds, Pinks and Purples’ new album arrives in a jam-packed 14 tracks of mid-life crisis. With instrumentals that sound like a subdued Springsteen, and a vocal delivery reminiscent of Matt Berninger of The National, The Reds, Pinks and Purples deliver bite sized storytelling and autobiographical snapshots that capture the ache and absurdity of trying to get by.

The album opens with the tongue-in-cheek “The World Doesn’t Need Another Band,” a sarcastic dig at the oversaturation of the music industry, while slyly acknowledging the artist’s own place in it. This subtle self awareness sets the existential tone for the rest of the project. Standout track “Slow Torture of an Hourly Wage” is exactly as the title suggests, an anthem of agony and despair: “We did it all for the heartache /  Where you work and never get paid / On a life raft waiting to be saved / From the living you never made.” The songwriting uses simple metaphors and clean phrasing to create an accessible emotional landscape.

However, the simplicity in lyrics can lead to the overly literal. On tracks like “Toxic Friend,” the message lands a little too squarely on the surface, with opening lines, “Hey toxic friend / Why does our friendship never end / Said I need to grow / And leave you on your own / But you’re coming ‘round again.” With many songs clocking in at just 2-3 minutes long, there’s little room to dive into deeper narrative arcs. By the album’s second half, certain moments begin to blur together, or get even simpler, like on the two line song, “Richard in the Age of the Corporation.”

Instrumentally, The Reds, Pinks and Purples stick to a tried and true formula: layering acoustic and electric guitar melodies over a simple chord progression and drum loop. The washy distortion gives the guitars a synth-like quality, and the vocals float freely above it all, favoring simple, stepwise melodies.

The Past Is A Garden I Never Fed is a project that shoots to resonate with the listener, taking simple turns of phrases straight out of their heads and putting them to song. While some songs feel underdeveloped or too similar in tone, there’s an undeniable charm in the project’s restraint and sincerity. The Reds, Pinks and Purples have carved out a niche for those who find beauty in the mundane and comfort in the melancholy. For listeners willing to meet the album on its own understated terms, there’s a subtle depth waiting beneath the surface.