Exploring the dreamy edges of sound through the lens of COSM

There’s something compelling about music written in moments of change, an exciting sense of uncertainty but creatively wide open. In this interview, I speak with Emily, on guitar and vocals for COSM, who opens up about the process behind COSM EP, from navigating major life transitions to building their layered, immersive sound.

We talk about songwriting, live energy, and the influences that continue to shape where they’re headed next.

Listen while you read:

Tell us about the COSM EP process?

"The tracks were written in a big transition period, it was during the time my brother and I were getting our U.K. visas and leaving home. Lyrically, the tracks revolve around restlessness, leaving home and coming to terms with change."

How do you build your songs? Explain the writing process & is it different every time?

"I mainly write everything myself creating a pretty fledged out demo before bringing it to the rest of the band to add drums and bass. If something comes out in the practice room, we capture it there and then."

Which artists would you say have inspired you the most?

"We do love our shoegaze and our indie, so artists such as Slowdive, DIIV, Ride, Dinosaur Jr, Pixies, The Strokes, Television, and Alvvays."

Is there a distinct gig any of you have been to that has stuck with you and inspired anything you have done live?

"Seeing Slowdive at Wide Awake was really inspiring to us. Music aside, throughout their career, they had such an unexpectedly massive live sound. It was one of the few experiences where closing our eyes was more impactful, just to take in what we were hearing."

Where do you want to push your sound next - more chaos, more clarity, or something unexpected?

"I think definitely leaning away from the straight up indie tracks and more into adding additional instrumentation like strings and horns, whilst still exploring the sound of shoegaze."

How do you recreate the huge layered sounds on stage?

"We run a stereo amp setup where I can and just lay on the drive, delay, and reverb as much as possible, emphasising this on our more vocal and percussive elements."

How do you know when a track is finished, especially with such layered music?

"We just end up running out of time to keep working on one to be honest. Our newest release “Black Holes” was self-mixed and we just kept adding more and more parts until we had to send it off. If we had no deadlines set, we could probably just keep mixing forever!"

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With an ever evolving atmosphere, it’s clear the band aren’t interested in standing still. As they continue to experiment with new textures and push beyond their indie foundations, their music feels like it’s only just beginning to take shape.

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