Elusive art pop, math rock four-piece cowboyy have released their chasmic debut EP ‘Epic The Movie’, out today via Nice Swan Records – listen here.
Spanning across five genre-fluid tracks, it’s Stanley Powell‘s razor-sharp guitar playing that sits at the core of the EP and weaves a cohesive thread through the South Coast quartet’s first substantial body of work – from the heavy rock shredding of ‘Algorithmic’ to the more subtle and ethereal tones of EP closer ‘Nothing’.
A certified EP highlight, today also shines a light on the environmentally-charged track ‘Plastic’ – the last song to be written and recorded for ‘Epic The Movie’ at The Old Chapel studios in Chichester and co-produced by David Evans. Elaborating on the track Stanley explains, “I wanted to show my 60s pop influences in the song’s production, (working with good friend and producer David Evans) adding piano, vibra slap, glockenspiel and vocal BV harmonies. The riff came from a random demo I had on my SoundCloud that I worked up into a song after deciding to drop one of the tracks that we had recorded amongst the rest of the EP months before.”
He continues, “The lyrics are obviously about micro plastics but are more of a commentary on 20th century living rather than exclusively environmental. Lyrics like ‘a generation born too early for new worlds but too late for new land’ are a poke at the current point in humanity we live in. Referencing micro plastics found in humans and fish due to pollution rather than exploration and discovery. I’m sure we will progress into another age of discovery and wonder as a race, but right now we’re just filling the world with plastic.”
Taking a swig from the eclectic melting pot of genres that inform their idiosyncratic sound they piece together sonic blueprints from indie and reggae as well as math rock and dance music. Previous singles ‘Gmaps‘ and ‘Tennis‘ have seen cowboyy receive a slew of critical acclaim from NME, DIY, Clash, Dork, So Young Magazine, Gigwise, The Rodeo, Yuck Magazine, BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, Rough Trade, and many more.
cowboyy are a musical collective. Formed by vocalist, lead guitarist, producer and songwriter Stanley Powell (21), he’s joined by bassist Reubin Yarnold(22), guitarist Kai Smith (19) and drummer Rhys Teal (19) to complete the South Coast quartet’s line-up.
Pulling inspiration from math rock all the way to jazz, post-punk and electronic music, with a fresh and modern outlook on writing and collaboration, cowboyy strive to create their own unique sound, refusing to be anything but themselves. The result? Something that straddles the lanes of art pop and alternative rock, with guitar lines and bold ambitions to create new sounding music at the forefront of the project.
Having only formed in January 2022, and going through some initial line-up changes, over the past few months cowboyy have been cultivating a dedicated live following, winning over, and confusing, audiences at every gig they play. This is also, in part, due to it being the only place you can hear their discography, until now.
‘Epic The Movie’ Tracklist
1. ‘Gmaps’
2. ‘Tennis’
3. ‘Plastic’
4. ‘Algorithmic’
5. ‘Nothing’
‘Epic The Movie’ is out now via Nice Swan Records.
Live Dates
11th March – Rough Trade East, London
21st March – Shacklewell Arms, London
23rd March – Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth
24th March – 100 Club, London (Supporting Fat Dog and Butch Kassidy)
25th March – Beat Connection Festival, Reading
