There’s something equally magical and horrific about growing up in the middle of Nowhere, America. Boredom gives way to creativity as kids make the most of their empty environments, and there’s something grotesquely poetic about coming of age surrounded by societal decay. In recent years, the elusive third spaces most youth engage in attempts to find themselves have eroded to the point where there’s just not much of a canvas outside school and the home.
We’re swirling around these sentiments as Cosmorat deliver their debut single in “Backseat Baby,” a punchy alt-pop tune that shakes n’ snakes and glides n’ slides as it crashes the streams today (September 14). The London-based group, whose own Taylor Pollock grew up in small-town Pennsylvania, add some sonic zeal to the age-old topic of being young and bored, touching on committing petty crimes and being exposed to blatant classism, all while a frenzied all-cheer mood glistens over its steady stream of breakbeats. It’s a 2023 track that could have also surfaced in 2013, or 2003, or that time we got sent to juvie.
“I wrote the chorus of this song one night at 4 a.m. while at my parents house after a long night of driving around and sitting in parking lots,” writes Pollock. “I was thinking about all of the times my friends and I snuck out, got curfew violations, and were kicked out of stores and gas stations for loitering. There wasn’t much to do where I grew up, so we made fun out of nothing. It’s a bit of a rebellious celebration of trying to find your space in the world and being proud of your roots. I tried for a very long time to pretend to be someone I was not, and I think this song really helped me remember that my heart is a concrete jungle filled with graffiti.”
Pollock adds more, shouting out Cosmorat creative partner Olly Liu: “In my parents basement, we plugged a guitar into an old dusty bar amp my uncle gifted me when I was younger. Olly and I messed around with some breakbeats, and then Olly started playing guitar on top while I danced around singing different lyrics and rhythms. Eventually, we took the voice memo and stacked all of the best parts on top of each other.”
The track was produced by Husky Loops’ Danio Forni. “When Danio came into the picture, he really helped refine all of the beats and drum parts,” Pollock concludes. “We spent so many nights in the studio and his shed just trying out different sounds and different arrangements for the drums. I am so proud of what we were able to create because the end result feels like Cosmorat. This is what Cosmorat was always meant to be, and now it is here.”
Take it with you as you create your own third space, age of the driver’s license be damned. And prepare for a lot more from this new artistic force with an already poignant voice.