Cosy
Buttons
Independent
Cosy, the name of the Perth three-piece consisting of Sam Rocchi, Albert Pritchard and Oscar Van Gass, is truly a misnomer. There is nothing comfortable about their sound, no cosiness to be found in their rousing rock. Their style is sincere, heart-on-your-sleeve pop-rock, and their latest single Buttons is emblematic of this.
The trio got here after slogging through many messy side projects and lost bands. Their members have performed in many WA bands, notables including Shit Narnia, Mung Dahl, The Chlorines, and Noah Dillon. Buttons was recorded with Mitch McDonald (The Love Junkies) at Blackbird Sound Studios (Spacey Jane, Drapht). It’s their first release since the single Blue came out at the beginning of 2020 and it continues in that track’s anthemic but melodic vein.
The band stated that Buttons is about how love promises much more than it will give you. “There to break the fall/ There to open the door/ Here to step aside/ Here to lock it behind,” Rocchi cries during the repeated chorus, giving voice to anyone who’s ever felt undermined in a relationship. Cosy sound very reminiscent of the American indie-rock outfit Grizzly Bear here. They possess the same level of tempo control, knowing when to unravel their passion and when to rein it in. Rocchi’s strong but heartfelt vocals, especially when he sinks into a light falsetto, mirror Ed Droste’s aching delivery in that band.
It’s difficult not to get swept up in Cosy’s dramatic storytelling and anthemic rhythm here. Their last EP, Borrowed State, was released in 2018, but there’s been no mention of a follow-up yet. If the trio can mine the same powerful territory again as they have on Buttons, a larger release should be something to look forward to.
CONOR LOCHRIE
