A band whose mellow blend of swooning vocals and swaying instrumentals take you from the chaotic nature of the everyday life and into a glowing paradise, Coco have developed a sound that can offer their listeners a chance of escapism whilst equally, should you choose to dive a little deeper, the record offers an intimate and personal accompaniment into the lives of the band.
Following the release of Knots, and ahead of their self titled debut album, out on Oct 29th via First City Artists, we caught up with Coco to discuss their favourite songs at the moment. Here are their picks:
Little Simz – Woman (Dan)
I was recently served the song Woman by Little Simz in my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. I know, not the hippest way to hear new music, but sometimes the Spotify algorithm just gets me! Being a drummer and sound maker I am always drawn to great drum sounds/performances. This is a song that right off the bat just hits you with such an insanely great beat. A well greased rhythm section, stellar production, incredible mix (shout out to Ben Baptie!). On top of all that goodness is Little Simz herself whose flow is just undeniable. AND THE STRINGS! THE STRINGS! It’s just perfect (cue chef’s kiss).
Sault – Bitter Streets (Dan)
I’ve been loving everything that the team behind Sault is putting out. Their ability to focus on crafting insane hooks on each element of the arrangement combined with clever lyrics and again near perfect production. After doing a little dive into seeing who the people behind these projects are, I recently found out that a lot of the same folks are behind both Little Simz and Sault! My ears know what they like I suppose!
Floating Points & Pharaoh Sanders – Movement 6 (Oliver)
This is one of my favourite records from this year – the patient, peaceful atmosphere calls to mind wide open landscapes, maybe in the Arctic. I’m drawn to it partly because it feels at once free and tightly composed, some unique blend of the two. Growing up as a string player I lived for the moments of soaring in a big section, getting lost in the choir, and this reminds me of some of that music, Vaughan Williams or Stravinsky.
Lael Neale – White Wings (Oliver)
I just met Lael a couple weeks ago at a songwriting retreat in Nantucket and was blown away by her sense of melody and mood. Her new record, Acquainted With Night (out on Sub Pop! Hell yeah Lael!) has a sort of hushed intimacy that makes me think of Connie Converse or Molly Drake – as if nobody was supposed to hear these dispatches, and then the tapes sat on the ocean floor for fifty years until they were accidentally fished out by a trawler.
Rosalía – Bagdad – Cap.7: Liturgia (Maia)
I first heard Rosalía’s album El Mal Querer in late 2018 after I saw posters of the album art plastered all over town, which coincided with a friend showing me a video for her song De Aquí No Sales (Cap.4: Disputa), which coincided with another friend introducing me to the music of El Guincho, the producer of El Mal Querer. I was completely hooked – I listened to the album on repeat for months. Bagdad struck me in particular, with the delicious melodies and production. Her voice and singing is incredible, I want to bathe in it.
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