The Cold 100
Standing unique in their aim to make music which they define as ‘the blooze’, The Cold 100 are combining blues, rock ‘n roll, heaviness and noise to create their sound, blending their own influences and melding them all together in a big pot of goodness. Formed in 2007, the band have been touring around Ireland thanks to the success of Red Headed Woman, It Ain’t Easy, and New Stories, before writing and recording their debut EP, Into The Parlour, in 2011. They sent us through a link to check out, so I figured I’d see what was going on!
Opening with Mr Westcoast Man the immediate sound is quite frankly astonishing, opening with a bass heavy intro before leading into swaying vocals, spreading from one ear to the other to create a sense of movement before launching into an energetic verse section. Layered guitars add in a further sense of depth, keeping the track alive and turning it into the sort of track you want to kick back in the sun to, perfect festival music from the off. Lead snippets are thrown in along with the already raucous guitar line creating a feeling of 90’s rock, the sort of thing which made so many people fall in love with the genre. Fresh and jumpy until the closing moments, this is the sort of track which is going to kill on the live scene, and a great opening to get things going!
For Us Here continues the sound of the band, harking more towards their blues style roots and adding in their heavy and rocky sound to create what can only be described as the blooze, it’s a great sound! Adding in a harmonica as well as more of those rumbling bass rhythms, this track is once again pure enjoyment from start to finish, creating a sound which pulls you in, makes you listen yet kicks you back in serenity at the same time. Moving into Lay You Down everything takes a turn to funksville, adding in a cool bass line and live snippet designed to get you to don the shades, light a cigarette and strut around like you own the place. Cool, funky and laid back, this track is once again pure sunshine in a musical form, you want to be in a field with the sun beating down, you with your friends just enjoying. Contrasting this with a more energetic approach as the track moves forward, the whole track is like a journey, and one which you’re going to enjoy every second of.
Finishing with So Strange The News there’s one last chance to enjoy the smooth and relaxed music emanating from the band. More laid back than before, the soft opening moments of this track will send shivers down your spine, reignite your love for music and simply make you sit back and enjoy what’s going on. There’s elements here which somehow reminded me of my childhood, listening to my parents playing their records in the dining room with things like The Beatles, The Moody Blues and ELO coming out, it was a moment of sheer joy induced by a simple track. Once again demonstrating that they’ve taken on board their influences, the band have crafted a track here which can simply be described as a triumph, and one which I’m actually 100% blown away by – I’ve still got shivers sitting here listening to it now.
The Cold 100 have surprised me, normally this isn’t the sort of music which I go for as I tend to go for the all out heavy styles. What you’ve got here though is an EP which will take you away, remove you from the everyday stresses and problems we all face and send you to a new place, a place where you were innocent and happy, a place where the music sounded fresh and new, a place where time was endless and the sun always shone. I’m well and truly mindboggled, and will be making a point of seeing these guys live over the summer if I get a chance – so get on and check them out, this is incredible stuff just waiting to be heard.
To find out more about The Cold 100, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Mr Westcoast Man the immediate sound is quite frankly astonishing, opening with a bass heavy intro before leading into swaying vocals, spreading from one ear to the other to create a sense of movement before launching into an energetic verse section. Layered guitars add in a further sense of depth, keeping the track alive and turning it into the sort of track you want to kick back in the sun to, perfect festival music from the off. Lead snippets are thrown in along with the already raucous guitar line creating a feeling of 90’s rock, the sort of thing which made so many people fall in love with the genre. Fresh and jumpy until the closing moments, this is the sort of track which is going to kill on the live scene, and a great opening to get things going!
For Us Here continues the sound of the band, harking more towards their blues style roots and adding in their heavy and rocky sound to create what can only be described as the blooze, it’s a great sound! Adding in a harmonica as well as more of those rumbling bass rhythms, this track is once again pure enjoyment from start to finish, creating a sound which pulls you in, makes you listen yet kicks you back in serenity at the same time. Moving into Lay You Down everything takes a turn to funksville, adding in a cool bass line and live snippet designed to get you to don the shades, light a cigarette and strut around like you own the place. Cool, funky and laid back, this track is once again pure sunshine in a musical form, you want to be in a field with the sun beating down, you with your friends just enjoying. Contrasting this with a more energetic approach as the track moves forward, the whole track is like a journey, and one which you’re going to enjoy every second of.
Finishing with So Strange The News there’s one last chance to enjoy the smooth and relaxed music emanating from the band. More laid back than before, the soft opening moments of this track will send shivers down your spine, reignite your love for music and simply make you sit back and enjoy what’s going on. There’s elements here which somehow reminded me of my childhood, listening to my parents playing their records in the dining room with things like The Beatles, The Moody Blues and ELO coming out, it was a moment of sheer joy induced by a simple track. Once again demonstrating that they’ve taken on board their influences, the band have crafted a track here which can simply be described as a triumph, and one which I’m actually 100% blown away by – I’ve still got shivers sitting here listening to it now.
The Cold 100 have surprised me, normally this isn’t the sort of music which I go for as I tend to go for the all out heavy styles. What you’ve got here though is an EP which will take you away, remove you from the everyday stresses and problems we all face and send you to a new place, a place where you were innocent and happy, a place where the music sounded fresh and new, a place where time was endless and the sun always shone. I’m well and truly mindboggled, and will be making a point of seeing these guys live over the summer if I get a chance – so get on and check them out, this is incredible stuff just waiting to be heard.
To find out more about The Cold 100, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls