“Wasted,” the sole release by “secret music project” Old Cob, expands the mythos of the anonymous Brooklyn performer through eclectic instrumentation and impressionistic lyrics. Interspersed between a recurring Dixieland banjo loop, shuffling percussion, and warped synthetic hits, Old Cob croons non-sequiturs that evoke feelings of repetition and tropes Americana. “Once upon a time, I would stand in line for the magic show,” Old Cob declares, before the chorus begs the question: “what am I doing here? I should be somewhere else making a living.” Deeply esoteric and impossibly intriguing, your guess is as good as mine as to what Old Cob’s intentions are—my working theory is that they are an early 20th century time traveler who’s unexpectedly landed in present-day New York, but I’m open to suggestion. Until we have more answers, stream “Wasted” below. -Connor Beckett McInerney
