The Cords
The Cords
(Slumberland/Sleep Wax)
4.5/5
The Cords is a band made up of sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi from Scotland. The two had an interest for indie music from the ’80s and ’90s as kids, which eventually led to the formation of The Cords, with Eva as the guitarist and vocalist and Grace as the drummer.
Listening to the band’s self-titled debut album made me feel like a carefree teen enjoying summer days because of its upbeat, fast, cheerful rhythm combined with raw punk lyrics. Many tracks are beaming with youthful energy. The song “Fabulist,” for example, has rebellious lyrics that are punk combined with a little bit of teen love drama. This album is a great way to be introduced to the world of indie pop and shows the extraordinarily rejuvenating powers of music.
Unlike releases that are based on older genres of music like jazz or blues, this one is based on a younger genre. The music is liberating: hearing loud instruments like guitars and drums being smashed together and being conducted by young people singing radiates with energy. The song “You” features this, with rapid-fire lyrics. This might sound like rock, however, rock leans more into aggressiveness, intense atmosphere, and loud screams to achieve an emotional expression. In contrast, indie pop aims for a cheerier atmosphere, an almost lukewarm experience, to achieve an entirely different expression.
A great example of this here is “Vera.” Although many songs give the same feeling, this stands out most because the rhythm just sits right with me, not too fast or too slow.
I could spend my entire summer listening to this record while enjoying a nice warm cup of coffee at the shiniest time of the day and just recalling fun memories of my younger self. I consider myself a fan of very intense music, but none of that makes me feel as relaxed as The Cords’ songs do. I hope they continue composing music the same way they composed these songs—it’s so joyful that it makes it stand out amongst more aggressive and older genres that are popular nowadays.