photos by Erica Torelli
Chicago post-rock trio SWEET COBRA presents “Soft 11,” the latest audio preview of their impending fifth LP, Threes, their first LP since 2015. The song is playing exclusively at Treble today as the record nears November release next week via Pax Aeternum and the band’s own Hawthorne Street Records.
Trying to describe or label SWEET COBRA would be doing them a disservice. At this point, they’ve accomplished the rare task of developing their own unique voice in a choir of thousands. Threes is simply an honest rock album that harkens back to the day that musicians got together in a room and created with no agenda aside from organizing noise. There are a lot of familiar sounds, but nothing is on the nose. With Threes, SWEET COBRA has truly broken the mold for what is expected of punk-influenced bands and left the door open for other acts in the heavy spectrum of music to follow.
Aside from the tonal variety heard in the instrumentation on the album, the production displays a wide range of timbre as well. This is in thanks to the broad cast of engineers who helped capture the recording. Threes was recorded at Earth Analog by Matt Talbott (Hum), with initial tracking done at Electronical by Allen Epley and Eric Abert (Shiner, The Life And Times), with mixing handled by Kurt Ballou (Converge) at Godcity Studio, mastering handled by Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna), and the cover art created by Bill Connors. Joining drummer Jason Gagovski, vocalist/bassist Timothy Remis, and guitarist/pianist Robert Arthur Lanham Jr., Sarah Olmsted adds backing vocals to “Wet Brain,” and Matt Talbott provides additional guitar on “Soft 11,” which makes its first public appearance today.
SWEET COBRA guitarist Robert Lanham reveals, “Working with Matt at Earth Analog and getting to know him over the last ten years has been really meaningful to us. Being from the Midwest, we got to see Hum live a lot and really take in their approach. Definitely spent a lot of time with their records. ‘Soft 11’ is a great example of the influence they have had on us, so it felt natural that he had ideas for it and joined in on the track. We sort of started this tradition on our last album Earth where he also contributed vocals and guitar on ‘Sunburned Sons,’ and ‘Walls,’ so he feels like a fourth member of our band at this point.”
Treble writes with the song’s debut, “It’s a roaring, psychedelic stoner rock track with big riffs and, naturally, elements of Hum’s shoegazing post-hardcore maximalism, crunchy and atmospheric in equal measure. Somehow both dreamy and heavy all at once.”
Hear SWEET COBRA’s “Soft 11” featuring Matt Talbott from Hum first through Treble now at THIS LOCATION.
Threes will be released digitally through Pax Aeternum next Friday, November 11th, with the vinyl version to follow via the band’s Hawthorne Street Records in early 2023. Find digital preorders HERE and physical preorders HERE, and see the official video for the lead single, “Coats,” HERE.
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