Formed by singer, songwriter and guitarist Kyle Lee during brief periods of downtime from his role as lead guitarist in Welsh indie legends Gintis, COW began as a vehicle for Kyle to hook up with some like-minded souls, glimpse the darkness and shine a light on it.
After all, what better way of dealing with a broken heart than pouring it into a pop song?
This is typified by COW’s brand new EP, When the Darkness Gets You Down, released on 29th April via Mai 68 Records. Following on from 2021 single Notemakers, itself inspired by the suicide notes of writers such as Hunter S Thompson, the four tracks contained within are, according to Kyle “the thoughts of a man who has so much on his chest he wants to get off and out into the world, but ultimately can’t”.
Lead single On and On is a heart-breaking lament on the gradual disintegration of relationships “We should get more out of life with one another” is the core sentiment, its two protagonists at odds, one seeking solace in isolation and the other in oblivion.
Built around a metallic tinged guitar and a building alt pop fuzz that echoes the halcyon days of the Pacific Northwest and the tender musings of Sparklehorse.
The EP is released digitally on Friday 29th April and is available on vinyl, digital CD and all streaming platforms via Mai 68 Records, but you can watch the exclusive video to ‘On and On’ here:
When the darkness gets you down, turn towards it and pour it into your art.
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