CocoRosie – Queen City Sounds and Art

Trust the Mask Celebrates a Night of Revelry and Passion on Synth Pop Song “Will You Come”

Trust the Mask, photo by Emmanuela Gasparella

Trust the Mask dispenses the at this point in pop music unnecessary intro and gets right into the thick of its brightly otherworldly synth pop on “Will You Come.” There is an immediate momentum and irresistible melody that carries you along for a ride in a song about a hazy morning after remembrance of a night of dancing and drunken, hazy partying that lead to an invite back to a spur of the moment lover’s home and no clear memories of the night events except for “a glass of wine” and “your lips so close to min” and an intention to leave early but being asked to stay and some discussion of not being a person that cheats, legs full of marks from all the revelry, missed calls, a missed alarm and a missing car. But there are no hints of regret in the song and its saturated tones and energetic pace has some resonance with a more synth-infused ABBA song by way of chillwave and the vocals akin to something you’d expect to hear in a Cocorosie song. But the song that really captivates your attention for the duration ends at the just the right, short run time. The sheer economy of songwriting is impressive and effective in its rapid and sustained dopamine hit of pop hooks and celebratory mood. Listen to “Will You Come” on Spotify and follow the Italian duo at the links below.

Trust the Mask on Instagram

Trust the Mask on Facebook

Trust the Mask on YouTube

CocoRosie Renders in Rich Sonic Detail the Unlikely Friendship Between Ghosts and the Living on “Burning Down the House”

CocoRosie_BurningDownTheHouse1_sm — CocoRosie, photo courtesy the artists

Not to be confused with the Talking Heads song of the same name, CocoRosie’s “Burning Down The House” is a single from the duo’s new album Put the Shine On (released March 13, 2020). But the resonance with the way the Talking Heads seemed to put a unique stamp on each of its own records, CocoRosie imbues each of its offerings with its own creative identity. This song sounds like Sierra and Bianca Casady used the structure and methods of making a hip-hop beat with its use of samples and production techniques to write something that sounds very organic and handcrafted. From the unique rhythms and textures, the unconventional vocals, strings and dulcimer one gets a view into a world where the living communicate with ghosts and form a friendship and a path of freedom and fulfillment for all involved. It is almost symbolic of the way CocoRosie uses imagination and creativity to transcend the arbitrary limitations of identity and art to better express something genuine and rich from one’s own idiosyncrasies rather than adhering to a popular style. That said, listening to “Burning Down The House” is a beautiful fusion of Tin Pan Alley pop, Americana, hip-hop and outsider music but immediately accessible precisely because there is an undeniable appeal to the way the Casady sisters create something that not only honors their own creative instincts but shows some respect for potential listeners in delivering something that isn’t a drab clone of something someone else already made. Listen to “Burning Down the House” on Spotify and connect with CocoRosie at the links below.

instagram.com/eoinlyness
cocorosiemusic.com

CocoRosie Release First New Music in Two Years With the Socially Aware, Genre Bending Dub Pop Song “Lamb & the Wolf”

CocoRosie_NathanCasady_sm_crop — CocoRosie, photo by Nathan Casady

CocoRosie’s latest single “Lamb & the Wolf” doesn’t disappoint for those familiar with the band’s unique vision somewhere betwixt hip-hop, dub, lo-fi rock and synth pop. Laying out a story of modern America where people who are a little different or perceived as other, however that manifests for certain people, are targeted for various forms of harassment. The lyrics, “He’s jealous of my piece of paradise” is so poignant as in the song it refers to the “weird” guy at the grocery store who needs to have a socially regressive opinion about others who are enjoying their lives and hurting no one no more and maybe acting on it. But CocoRosie is having none of that singing “No more Mr. Nice Guy they’re trying to Britney Spears me.”At times the song is reminiscent of Beastie Boys gone more surreal at others and at once like Peaking Lights in the fully integrated dub and lo-fi electro the ways the band uses sound to disorient and stretch the boundaries of expectation and to go beyond. “Lamb & the Wolf” in all its strangeness is nevertheless accessible while having something powerful and poignant to say about the fractious cultural landscape and a great reminder that pop music need not lack for being boldly and unapologetically imaginative in its genre-bending. Listen on Spotify and follow CocoRosie, who famously recently collaborated with Chance the Rapper, at the link below.