COSMS is an Austin post-rock act that first cracked into my consciousness at Psych Fest last year, but not because they were playing. It was actually, somewhat oddly, not music but clothes that got me into this two-piece instrumental band. To be specific, it was drummer and synth player Damen’s unmissable shirt which had me going up to take her shot for my friend ATX Streestyle’s blog (I was filling in for a day).
It wasn’t much of a question the lady was making it on the blog: girl was rocking a shirt that was covered hem-to-hem with Steve Buscemi faces. Like, weird ones, if one Steve Buscemi face could be said to be weirder than another, and they were all goddamn over her shirt. ATXSS records peoples’ gigs along with what they’re wearing, and Damen told me she was the drummer for a band named COSMS out of here, which I later looked up. It was a hell of a journalistic win- not only did I get to shoot a wild Steve Buscemi shirt, but the stylish lady wearin’ it was also in a damn good band that I’ve been keeping tabs on since.
Now is an excellent time to get into COSMS, as they’re prepping a new album for release, which should be happening during one of a series of SX shows that these guys will play. In support of said sparklin’ new album, COSMS recently recorded a new and neat live version of track “PAGODA” for KOOP radio, and it has The Deli rather pumped for the full release. The song’s first few dreamy minutes invoke visions of its namesake- one could see it soundtracking cherry blossoms flowing down from the sky in lazy schools around a still Japanese pagoda- and then it gets raw as fuck. It’s also an excellent representation of what COSMS does, which is firmly in the instrumental-only, crescendos-sometimes-included realm of post-rock, but which keeps its own sound and isn’t a clone of the genre’s big acts like GY!BE or Explosions in the Sky or Mogwai clone like much of post-rock can be.
It’s good shit from a group with style and substance to spare, and it portends an excellent full release. Head to their FB page to keep an eye on info on that release and the SXSW shows, and listen to “PAGODA” below.