Cold Court are a brother-sister duo from Philly who love nothing more than throwing all of their influences together into a messy soup that at least superficially resembles the hyperpop you’d expect from acts like 100 Gecs. But, where songs like “Dumbest Girl Alive” wink goofily at pop punk and emo, Cold Court is a little more self-serious, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The opening track of the band’s first EP\(^_^)/(aka) hands up), “Nina”, sounds not unlike the dance punk bands that rocked the stage in the middle aughts, like Franz Ferdinand or Taste Icicles. But that all starts to change about a minute in, when the scuzzy riff is chopped up and fed through a beat repeater. Another minute later, there’s a sweet proggy bridge that calls to mind the Mars Volta. Then the whole thing ends in glitches and digital chaos.
The record continues in roughly the same manner. songs on hands up Life apparently began on drums and guitar. But then Mini and JoJo fed their creations into a computer, added layers, rearranged the pieces, and piled on effects. The single “Burn” is probably the best example of all the parts coming together. It features big rock riffs, Daft Punk-esque synths, dubstep chops, autotuned vocals, and even a rapped bridge. Yet the whole thing feels cohesive, seething when they scream, “I just wanna see it burn, fuck about your word.”
They’re not the darkest songs, but it works.
While Cold Court is clearly an exercise in maximalism, not every song is as big as “Burn.” “Cola” moves more slowly, removes some layers, but does not reduce the volume. “Glass” almost becomes math rock as its guitars get chopped up and spit back out, and the EP’s closer “Light” is soaring, sparkly prog.
Over the course of a full album, the constant interruption can become tiring. But at just 21 minutes, Hands Up doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it’ll be interesting to see how the band evolves as the young duo grows.
<a href