#185 - Modern Color (Vince Nguyen)

Behind the Vinyl

We had Vince of Modern Color on to talk about "There Goes the Dream." The writing process for their latest record was fragmented, as Vince has been personally juggling other projects and endeavors—being on the road with Militarie Gun while still touring with Modern Color. It took a little longer to write because they thrive on getting in a room together and bouncing ideas off each other. Nonetheless, the wait was well worth it. Usually, Fleming or Chad come in with a full song, and they start jamming to develop those ideas. The best part? They can be real with each other and give productive feedback. That all led to the carefully crafted songs on "There Goes the Dream." It was a recipe for success for the band.

This record is all about making intentional changes. They focused on Fleming’s writing and vocals first, instead of writing the music and adding lyrics later. Modern Color also got more personal with their songwriting, shortening the song lengths, and becoming more direct. These songs tell the story of growing up in the South Bay, surrounded by music everywhere they went. "Where’s Kevin" is one of those stories—it's a handwritten apology to Fleming's mom about sneaking out as a kid. The title itself stems from a building manager who was never around when he was needed. And there’s something for everyone, even an acoustic track like "Night Swim."

Growing up in the metalcore scene in the South Bay, they played the same venues with the same bands every weekend. It felt stale, and that's when they realized they wanted to do something different. Since then, it’s been a journey of finding the band's sound and pushing it in a new direction—that’s been the driving force behind Modern Color.

Balancing tours has shown Vince the importance of a stable lineup for the band to grow and continue to progress. As they reach 10 years with Modern Color, they reflect on the chemistry built from growing up together. Though our lineup wasn’t solidified until they wrote "Pale" in Vince’s room in 2015, the DIY spirit that started it all continues to push them forward. They are moving ahead, but they also know there’s still so much work left to do. Stick around until the end to hear personal stories from Vince duing our "lighning round." I really loved hearing why Vince explain how he was fidgity as a kid and was always drumming against some type of surface.