Cool Party - Cool Party

Cool Party

Cool Party
self-released; 2015

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
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Tabitha (Vocals) Grant (Guitars) Mike (Guitars) Connor (Drums) and  Blake (Bass) are Cool Party. The band from North Carolina released their self-titled LP towards the end of last year. My first thoughts were that they sounded like a female fronted version of The Strokes. This comparison is more evident on some songs than others but think you will hear what I’m talking about if you are a fan of The Strokes.

Tabitha is a great vocalist. She is dynamic, has a lot of emotion in her voice and also happens have a voice that seems tailor made to rock. The musicians are nothing to scoff at either. There are plenty of inventive riffs and the band has the ability to stay in the pocket.

Up first is “Vespers” which sounds somewhere between The Strokes and Asobi Seksu. It’s a strong opener with a memorable vocal melody and a lead guitar riff that comes in a close second. The band doesn’t let up with “Diving”. I love bass lines that start and stop and just don't follow the guitar and that's what you have hear. It’s gives the song an unique energy but also makes the chorus more powerful when it comes around.

“On Your Mind” is a bit more melancholy and contains jagged guitar riffs that drip with white noise while “20th Century” has a guitar riff that reminded me of “Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies. That being said the vocal melody has no resemblance to what Frank Black was singing. There is a transitional, ambient piece called “Humidity” which seemed marginal. It doesn't sound like anything on the album besides “56k” which also felt like an unnecessary filler.

The closer “Madame B” has a different feel from some of the straight up garage rock that came before it. It has a synth bassline, arpeggiated synth and a more danceable pop feel. I thought about the band Heart. Heart started as a garage rock band some maybe Cool Party will follow a similar path.

Cool Party debut is very good album with very few mishaps. They know how to write a song and have obvious chemistry. On their next release I hope to hear them establish an even more distinct sound that can separate them from the pack.

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