COUSIN KULA

It’s safe to say that psychedelic rock has been making a significant move into the forefront of the musical landscape over the last year or so. However, with such a resurgence there is often the problem of an oversaturation of a sound, with many bands playing it safe and going with what has already gone and worked things can get repetitive and boring quite quickly. Sometimes though, you get a band that push things further and explore what more can be done. Bristol-based Cousin Kula is certainly one of those bands, venturing out into the uncharted territories and drawing up new maps.

Their debut track ‘Hesitation’ is a rapid song that builds throughout. Starting out with marching drums and soulful keys, a twinkling riff comes and goes as the vocals join in the mix and everything harmonises and plays together brilliantly. As the song moves through more is added, deep bass, brass and twitching synth, a recipe that creates a playful and fun song to listen to.

With ‘Hesitation’ Cousin Kula sounds like they have taken their inspiration from a psychedelic time but they want to explore the sound in a modern surrounding. There’s undeniably a psychedelic sound but there’s something else going on too, more full bodied in a way, there is a lot of different texture and depth to be found at all times, be it the brief synth tweaks or the deep sub bass sounds, the funky keyboard riffs or those fun and unexpected brass sections, there is a lot going on in such a brief time, but everything is amazingly clear and un-crowded. A perfect song to enjoy alongside summer’s second wind.

Words by Richard Anderson

Tipped by Dave Maul