Album Review – The Gloss by Cola (2024) (Fire Talk)
Those of you who appreciate a post-punk sheen to their jangle-pop will most probably already have assigned Montreal trio Cola ‘darling status’ after the sheer brilliance of the Deep In View debut album that they released in May 2022.
The follow-up album, The Gloss, sees Tim Darcy (vocals, lead guitar), Ben Stidworthy (bass), and Evan Cartwright (drums) head straight down the road of familiarity that will appease their existing fans while taking definitive steps along the way that will doubtless enable them to pick up new passengers.
Initially, the familiar spiky angularity embodied by Postcard Records acts such as the The Fire Engines and Josef K provides some loose direction to Tracing Hallmarks, Albatross, and Pallor Tricks as they sprawl and wind in their unique ad-lib manner, which is further enhanced by the live studio cuts that create an even more spurious and obtuse organic sound.
With such a glorious sound as a core, they slide towards more traditional song structures in like Pulling Quotes, Down to Size, Keys Down If You Stay, and Nice as all things Steven Malkmus surface to offer conversational-tone vocals that shift languidly across Pavement-style bass lines.
Critics have praised The Gloss, yet some have pointed out the album’s lack of immediacy. Personally, I feel that if immediacy is what a person needs in their listening experience, then there are thousands The Byrds wannabee acts that will provide that for you. The very essence of Cola’s sound is the nuggets that fall through the gaps of their deceptive post-punk, and that is what makes’ this album so superb.
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