Synth Single Review: “Without a Doubt’’ by Color Theory & My Manifesto

Color Theory & My Manifesto’s Without a Doubt explores its dark themes through richly expressive performances. The song starts with a guitar playing a slowly dancing melody as smoothly undulating synth trickles. The drums pulsate and Nick Comanici’s voice calls out with aching warmth as the flowing synth creates tranquility. Arpeggiating notes flicker past as Nick Comanici's voice fills the music.

Now bouncing, taut sounds shift and then the drums shape the music as misty synth flows in the background. The drums add shape as Nick Comanici and Brian Hazard’s voices intertwine and smoothly rippling notes move through the music. The piano fills the calming and delicate section that moves in as the drums throb.

The radiant guitar entangles, caressing the listener’s ears as smooth arpeggios glide. Both singers create deep expression as the low end trips past. This music has an ethereal quality which I find enjoyable as it unfolds. The song ends with the two singers' voices coming together again as the guitar carries out into silence.

The narrator speaks of taking away the pain if it hurts as “everything's the same, just like a curse.” He knows that the other person wants to be somewhere else but reminds them that “anywhere you go, you find yourself." He talks about inhaling and exhaling as he adds that the other person is "holding your breath, without a doubt. “

Our storyteller tells the song’s subject to drink away their pain because it only gets worse. He says that they can cure the disease but they “can't stop the hurt.” He points out that everyone knows that there isn't anything else so you’ll “enslave yourself until the pain is felt.”

Rogue VHS’ Without A Doubt remix starts as massively heaving, sharp-edged base moves with rebounding drums and peacefully trembling, slowly undulating synth. Nick Comanici’s voice is left clear as it moves over the shaping drums and colossal bass weight.

Jagged sounds vibrate in the distance, creating a dark balance with the emotional qualities of Nick Comanici’s performance. There's a slight distortion in the vocals as widely sweeping, glowing synth moves in waves above it while the drums and bass create form.

Creaking notes cut through with their rough edges, supporting the melancholy vocal performances as the track moves forward. I like the sharper sounds in this remix, adding to the song’s inherently shadowy qualities. Cracking, scraping synth growls while the crisp drums burst and the track's lacerating quality becomes clearer still.

Cosmically drifting synth piles up and overflows above the shaping low end. Vocal layering allows the singer's voices to wind in and out of the grating, razor sharp bass and solid drums. The track ends with all of the hard-edged sounds fading into silence.