Cola, the Montreal band formed by ex-Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy alongside drummer Evan Cartwright, share their new single and video ‘Albatross’ and announce a slew of UK tour dates for November, which come in addition to their UK tour this month. The new single is taken from their second album, The Gloss, due out on 14th June via Fire Talk and Next Door Records in Canada. The Gloss is the follow-up to their 2022 debut album Deep In View, which Rolling Stone and called “one of the year’s most thrilling rock statements.”
While a degree of compact minimalism is a hallmark of the band’s sound, the tracks that have been heard from Cola’s new LP have shown a more discursive bent than their first album. The songs have more parts and more variations, and a tendency to blend an undercurrent of simmering urgency with oblique rhythms and changes of pace. ‘Albatross’ is no exception, maintaining a forward momentum redolent of the race horses featured in Darcy’s lyrics, but with a contemplative element worked into the band’s spacious arrangements.
Darcy says of the track:
“This song had a few lives before it took its final form. We played a much faster version on some later Deep in View tours with different lyrics. When we eventually got to the studio we revisited Ben’s original demo and decided to slow it down and re-introduce a heavier feeling.
I then had a spark of inspiration and completely rewrote the lyrics, which centre around “an albatross”–something that greatly hinders accomplishment. From there I started thinking about a horse race and perhaps some trainer watching a slow motion replay to try identify what’s wrong with an animal’s stride, hence the chorus.”
Cola Tour Dates
May
10 | Eindhoven, NL – Altstadt
11 | Luxembourg – Out of the Crowd Festival
13 | Ramsgate, UK – Ramsgate Music Hall
14 | Birkenhead, UK – Future Yard
15 | Cardiff, UK – Clwb Ifor Bach
16 | London, UK – The Garage – Medical Aid for Palestinians Benefit Show w/ Shame + PVA
17 | London, UK – The George Tavern
18 | London, UK – The George Tavern
July
5 | Toronto, ON – The Garrison ^
6 | Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s ^
7 | Detroit, MI – Lager House ^
8 | Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle ^
11 | Nashville, TN – Third Man Records ^
12 | Atlanta, GA – 529 ^
13 | Asheville, NC – Eulogy &
15 | Washington, DC – Songbyrd +
16| Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s +
17 | New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom +
18 | Troy, NY – No Fun +
19 | Boston, MA – The Rockwell +
20 | Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount +
26 | Teulon, MB – Real Love Summer Festival
October
10 | San Diego, CA – Soda Bar *
11 | Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon *
12 | San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill *
14 | Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios *
16 | Vancouver, BC – Wise Hall
17th Oct | Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s *
November
11 | Maastricht, Netherlands – Muziekgieterij
12 | Paris, France – Supersonic
13 | Utrecht, Netherlands – Ekko
14 | Groningen, Netherlands – Vera
16 | Berlin, Germany – Hole44 (supporting METZ)
17 | Hamburg, Germany – Aalhaus
19 | Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
20 | Glasgow, UK – Broadcast
21 | Dublin, IR – The Workman’s Club
22 | Manchester, UK – YES (The Pink Room)
+ = w/ Mhaol
* = w/ Mind Shrine
^ = w/ Devon Welsh
For more information on Cola please check their website and instagram.
