Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Cola
Montreal-baed trio Cola are ready to schmooze on over to their second album, The Gloss. Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy once again find themselves alongside jazzy session drummer Evan Cartwright, as they look to further refine their brooding, spacious sound. The waltzing exploration of the record draws from an ever-expanding array to create something singularly implacable and utterly refreshing, like the soda that shares their name.
That’s certainly true of the first single released, ‘Bitter Melon’. Speaking about how the record came about, frontman Darcy commented: “This one started with a demo brought in by Ben. The vocals and lyrics came naturally from the backlit, brooding atmosphere of the music. I wrote what was almost a piece of fiction (fleshed out in the accompanying zine we’ve released) where a person is up in the middle of the night studying ‘the gloss’ – additional comments written in the margins of a book.”
Darcy continues: “In my mind, the text was like the rind of a fruit surrounding something, maybe even written at an earlier point by the reader themselves. The motorik drums and chiming guitars are guided by the bass on this song, something not unusual for us, but the bass really provides a compelling long-form melody on this song.”
He concluded: “The track has the energy of a full moon or some kind of fertile dark / gaia-facing productive spirit to me.”
This elaborate and considered release indicates the band’s creative approach. It abides by the Talking Heads ethos of the whole gamut of music being regarded as a creative project. The zines, backstories, album covers, and more are sweated over. This is indicative of the band’s approach to every note, missed beat and quirky lyric being filled with due thought in restless creative flow.
So, ahead of the release of their new single, ‘Pallor Tricks’, launching the news, we caught up with the band to gain insight into as many of the details that make them such a textured picture as we could. You can check out their answers to our quick-fire questions below.
Quick-fire Questions with Cola:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
Evan: “‘Dream Baby Dream’ by Suicide.”
Ben: “‘Anywhere Is’ by Enya.”
2. What has been your favourite album released in 2024 so far?
Ben: “Souvenir by Omni.”
Tim: “Laetitia Sadier’s newest LP [Rooting for Love] is unsurprisingly great.”
3. What is the weirdest gig you have ever played?
Ben: “Probably Danbury, CT, at an all-ages, dry community hall kind of venue where the opening band had pizza delivered to them while playing and then left after their set, taking the majority of the attendees with them.”
Tim: “In a dream, once I played a set on train tracks outside of town. But I was coming from one direction, and everyone who was supposedly attending was coming from the opposite direction. I was rushing to get to the stage, but I didn’t know how far along the track it was. That was weird.”
4. What is one internet rabbit hole you have fallen down?
Ben: “Caribbean, Amazonian, and Polynesian warclubs and their mislabeling in museums.”
Tim: “I’ve gone fairly deep on hurdy gurdy performance videos. Valentin Clastrier in particular is incredible.”
5. Dual question: what is your favourite soup? And what is your favourite comfort movie?
Evan: “Chicken noodle with a big matzo ball in it; The Matrix.”
Ben: “Oceans 11 and maybe some kind of fish soup.”
6. Can you recommend a record we might never have heard?
Evan: “Zettel by Deep Dark United.”
Ben: “Conçu pour Durer by La Cliqua.”
Tim: “1980 by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. This was the final album they made together, and it had eluded me until recently. Incredible music and as potent lyricism as anything else in their discographies.”
7. Have you ever cried at a concert?
Evan: “So many times. My biggest was seeing Jennifer Castle at Massey Hall in Toronto circa 2017.”
Tim: “I certainly shed tears watching Magical Clouds at the Le Guess Who festival in Utrecht. I had seen them before, and Devon toured with Ben Evan and I once when we each put out solo records, but this performance was very special. It was in a church; the acoustics were sublime.”
8. What is your most prized musical instrument?
Evan: “Honestly, most of my gear is pretty low-key. I might have to say my acoustic guitar, a Lado. It’s nothing fancy, but I’ve travelled a lot with it, and it’s been great company.”
Tim: “I suppose it would have to be my standard telecaster. I’ve played nearly every show for the last decade with it.
9. Who would be in your dream supergroup?
Evan: “It already existed – John Coltrane’s classic quartet with Roy Haynes subbing in on drums.”
10. What is the best hangover cure?
Ben: “Downing two litres of water before bed and jumping in the ocean in the morning.”
Tim: “I don’t think there is one, really, but going for a run is just about the only thing that makes me feel a bit better after an evening of overindulgence.”
11. What was the last book you read? And what would you score it out of 10?
Evan: “The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon 10/10.”
Ben: “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh [by Franz Werfel] 10/10, which continues to be pertinent.”
Tim: “Brian Eno, A Year With Swollen Appendices, 10/10.”
12. You can spend a month in any place during any season; when and where are you going?
Ben: “I wouldn’t mind hanging out on a narrow boat for a month in the summer, I guess, just rolling around canals in the UK.”
13. You can have a pint with any musician; who are you drinking with?
Evan: “I’d like to meet Ricky Lee Jones for coffee.”
Ben: “My gut said Shane McGowan, but my heart says Seamus Ennis.”
14. Are The Beatles overrated?
Evan: “They are masters of the popular song, hook-geniuses, visionaries, but I can’t think of a single Beatles lyric that I feel in a deep way. Not my personal faves, but they’ve obviously got something really good going on.”
Ben: “No, but Evan is spot on.”
