This week we have a band, started in 2004, that has since been quickly rising in the indie charts and gaining popularity worldwide. You might catch a glimpse of these up and coming sensations with their passion-filled tunes and great live performances along with the likes of bands like Broken Social Scene, Explosions in the Sky, and Guided by Voices (among many others) at this year’s LA based FYF Festival. Your artists for this week are Cold War Kids.
Formed in the city of Fullerton, CA and (after several moves) eventually making their way to their current residence in Long Beach, Cold War Kids was constructed by the minds of Nathan Willet, Jonnie Russell, and the Matts (Aviero and Maust). The result was a sound that is somewhere between Tom Waits and Hawksley Workman. Within a year the band had released their first EP, Mulberry Street, named after the restaurant below the apartment in Fullerton where the band was created and soon after signed to Downtown Records.
Cold War Kids seemed to take off, creating lots of buzz and making their way into different publications including Pitchfork, San Diego City Beat, and Rolling Stone. This buzz is fo
r good reason as the band are dedicated to their music and it shows through their lyrics and dedication to its creation and production. The band have endured a constant string of write and tour, record a little, tour and write some more, go back and record, and repeat, resulting in five EPs and three LPs in the past seven years, their most recent album having been dropped in January of this year. Their hard work has gotten them into big festivals like Lollapalooza and Glastonbury and has them becoming more and more successful by the minute.
Whether you already know of Cold War Kids or not, they’re definitely worth a checking out and if you’ve got the time and the cash, head on down to FYF fest this weekend (should you be in the LA area) and see what they can do for you live. Cold War Kids are a fine example of small bands actually being successful and gaining a somewhat large following. Though you may hear a less philosophical tone in their newer work, the band are still delivering the same amount of feeling and pack a well-deserved punch to anyone willing to expand their musical library. If it tickles your fancy, check out the links below, see the show, maybe buy an album. If not, stay tuned for next week’s edition and see if that’s your flavor. Enjoy!
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