Cousin – s/t

Band: Cousin
Album: Cousin

Written by: Chiara DiAngelo

Giulio Rocco (guitar, vocals), Taylor Page (guitar, vocals), Sandro Rocco (bass), and Adam Slinn (drums) of Niagara Falls band Cousin have a “couple things to say to you”: Yes, they have been compared to the band Pavement. Yes, these comparisons are well warranted and deserved. But regardless of whether you are a die-hard fan of said band or not, do yourself a favour and give Cousin a listen. Because their musical offering extends a lot further than this comparison and this really shows on their self-titled album. Comprised of a solid set of nine 90’s slacker rock tracks with a bit of pop infused into the mix, Cousin is pure and classic summer Canadian indie pop-rock at its finest. Not bad for a group of early 20-somethings from the kitschy tourist capital of Southern Ontario.

Appropriately recorded by Josh Korody (of the bands Elk and Beliefs, among others) on two of the hottest days last summer, this is exactly the type of laid-back yet peppy rock music you’re going to want to put on in the heat of August. It will make a great soundtrack when lying on the floor in front of a gently blowing fan with ice cubes melting on your face to cool you down.

Stand-out tracks on the album include “Breather” and “Northern Criminal.” With a Canadian drawl to the vocals and really poppy guitars, both have an almost Tragically Hip-ish sound to them. See what I mean about being perfect summer Can-Rock? “Young Liars” is one of the more mellower tracks on the album yet it has some angst behind it. If you listen to it enough times, you can almost hear him singing “young lions” instead of “young liars”…could this be coincidence or is it destiny? Finally, “Jawbreakah” has some of the most cleverly infectious lyrics: “I used to get a jawbreaker for six pence, now my girl says “you make no sense boy. Boy get some cents”” that are combined with some swinging jangly guitar to create a tune destined to be sung along to.

Already having a strong following in the Niagara region, the band caused quite a stir in Toronto when they opened the Young Lions Showcase at Sneaky Dee’s during CMW. So much so that Young Lions decided to continue working with them – they’re throwing a Toronto CD release party for Cousin this Friday, once again at Sneaky Dee’s. As a bonus, Brian Borcherdt of Holy Fuck is DJ’ing afterwards. Not a bad Friday night dance party if you ask me. Full details for the night can be found here.

If you can’t make it out, you can always check out two songs by the band up on their website. Or physical copies of their self-titled album can be ordered through the online IndoorShoes Community Record Store. Word has it Cousin will also be performing at NxNE next month!