Color Pulse

Color Pulse is a song performed by Off the Hook.

Description
Color Pulse is an energetic pop song, prominently featuring Pearl rapping whilst Marina sings. After the intro, Marina sings as Pearl intercuts with a few lines, before rapping her verse, whilst Marina harmonizes in the background with the same lines as the first section. Marina then sings a section, which she repeats with the final line slightly changed before the song is looped again. During Splatfests, Off the Hook performed this song at Deca Tower in Inkopolis Square. It can also be heard in Squid Beatz 2, with maximum scores of 158 and 256 in Normal and Hard modes respectively. Prior to Version 5.2.0, it had to be unlocked by hearing it during a Splatfest.

Lyrics
The booklet included with Splatune 2 gives the official lyrics for Color Pulse. The lyrics are nonsensical; the Japanese hiragana and katakana simply give the pronunciation. According to a Famitsu interview, the former is used to indicate Pearl's lyrics in Inkling language, whereas the latter is used to indicate Marina's lyrics in Octarian language.

The karaoke version available on the JOYSOUND service lists additional lyrics that were not included with those of the booklet, which are in italics here.

[[Media:Splatoon 2 Soundtrack - Splatfest News.oga|Inkopolis News (Splatfest)]]
This version has the vocals and a lot of the instruments taken out for a simpler version. It was played immediately after the player pressed and  on the start screen during a Splatfest and played during Inkopolis News, replacing the regular Inkopolis News song. After the news segment ended, the regular song started to be performed.

Color Pulse (Live)
During live performances, an extended version of Color Pulse is used. Although each performance is slightly different due to the live bands, they retain the same strong structure. The main difference from the regular version is a new break from Marina, as she scratches the beat on her set containing samples of various Inkling sound effects, and immediately afterwards a new melody is subtly laid on the beat. It now has a definite ending to the song, repeating the intro. A recording of this version from their first live concert at Haicalive at Tokaigi 2018 can be found in Octotune.

Splatfest theme announcement jingle
A short altered section of Color Pulse was played when an upcoming Splatfest was announced.

Splatfest final result jingle
A similar shortened section of the intro was played when the winners of a Splatfest were announced.

MC.Princess radio theme
When Cap'n Cuttlefish first receives communication from Off the Hook in the Octo Expansion, the music that plays while Pearl is speaking contains the first note of Color Pulse at the start.

The Plan
The Plan at one point samples the segue from the introduction to the main part of Color Pulse.

Hyperbomb sound effect
Shooting a hyperbomb plays the first two notes of Color Pulse when activated, with the glissando replacing the normal audio cue for standard s, and the actual explosion serving as the orchestra hit.

Turf War bad ending (Second Half Annihilation)
A hollow version reminiscent of a warning siren plays over the scene showing Inkopolis Square covered in sanitizing ink, should the player fail the Turf War in the Octo Expansion. In the game files, this song is named "ZanmetsuKouhan", which translates to "Second Half Annihilation".

Into the Light
Near the ending of Into the Light, another song by Off the Hook, the tune of Color Pulse plays before returning to the main melody.

Trivia

 * Although the name of City of Color was changed to City of Colour in Europe to suit regional spelling differences, Color Pulse is not renamed Colour Pulse for European regions.
 * This song and Inkoming! are also featured in the Splatoon 2 Medley in Ring Fit Adventure.

Etymology
Color Pulse is named after the appearance Inkopolis Square took on during Splatfests, being lit up with neon signs and bright lights. Flashing lights were also featured on Off the Hook's stage while they were performing this song, hence the name. It may also be a reference to City of Color by the Squid Sisters.