It seems the French noise/math-adjacent band Cosse have been pretty productive over the last couple years – it was just two years ago that we heard “Sepukku” off of Nothing Belongs to Anything, which is still a pleasantly abrasive dose of deranged and emotional compositions if you need one. Today we kick off the band’s next wave of haunting tunes with “Crazy Horse,” the band’s first single from their upcoming album, It Turns Pale.
But to up the ante a little bit, Cosse is putting out the live version first, which you should check out below immediately. First of all, the band absolutely nails the take. “Crazy Horse” is quintessential Cosse, but builds on what we loved before in every direction – accomplishing that effectively live, however, earns them some extra points. It’s also worth noting the video was shot at Le Ventre de la Baleine, a former Parisian metro seat factory turned thriving haven for the arts since the early 2000’s. Unfortunately, it will soon be demolished to make way for new buildings.
C ‘est la vie :( Though the track and the video might not be directly related, there is something poignant about highlighting a setting that’s increasingly hard to come by for the art community at large. So many of the DIY spaces, pub venues, and basement stages around the world are finding themselves abandoned, sold, and otherwise deemed unfit. But when there are no more buildings, we will play in the parking lots, and the shows will be just as good – maybe even better, and songs like “Crazy Horse,” are a decent reminder of this.
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If at first you think Cosse is rehashing something, give it a moment. The same seasick, crepuscular vibe established on the last album is indeed present, but you can tell they’ve expanded their sense of vision. It also speaks to their confidence in creating a sound and indulging in it. They don’t seem concerned with mimicking any tropes or genre norms, which, again, earns them some bonus points.
Finally, “Crazy Horse” explodes at the end, letting off steam in a grunge-y, nearly vintage haze. Somewhere between Slint and Smashing Pumpkins, the song’s dreary but determined core burns bright despite the aural fog and gloominess. In fact, rather than the dirge-y, slow burning dread we typically associate with this BPM, we actually gleaned a sense of optimism from the song, which was kind of what we needed at this point in our week. Even if we didn’t know it.
Thanks, Cosse.
Honestly, we also thought this song would have been a perfect addition to the Undead Nightmare DLC from Red Dead Redemption 2. Something about the frequency and timbre of those reverberated guitars before the crescendo. Anywho, more fun stuff to come from Solve for Why, Delta Sleep, standards and more! Contribute to our caffeine dependency here, check out the Cosse Bandcamp here, and other than that… fuck the Supreme Court! Thanks for reading!