Steve Stanard takes us on a track-by-track journey through Cold Sun, the new album from Southern California trio Down West.
After ten years together, the band have grown from an acoustic duo into a full-on alt-rock outfit, and this record shows them firing on all cylinders – riffs, grooves, hooks, and unfiltered live energy.
From the opener, Cold Sun, that delves into friendship as a performance, to heavier, angrier moments like Break Down the Door and politically charged Little Big Men, each track has its own character.
There are midwestern road-trip vibes in Numb, 80s synth love in No One Is To Blame, and a sneaky reggae twist on I’m In Love With That Woman Again.
Across ten tracks, Down West prove they’re a band that’s lived in, sweating it out, and having a blast while doing it.
Cold Sun
Chose this one as an opener because it sets up everything else. It’s just the three of us playing hard beginning to end, and it’s riff after riff and hook after hook.
The song is about friendship as a performance.
Break Down The Door
Was listening to Alien Ant Farm’s Smooth Criminal cover and got inspired for this vibe. People can only take so much punishment in life before it all comes apart.
Doing It Wrong
Ever wonder if you are? Normal people do, narcissists do not.
I love the time signature change, fun to do it live. Theo’s wild drumming makes the song.
Little Big Men
Ron’s bass groove, come on.
I wrote this one during the height of the Me Too movement, but also applies to the masked military occupiers American cities are dealing with right now.
Numb
Somebody in the band called this midwestern rock, and I agree it feels like a Chicago to Athens, Georgia 80s road trip. Just strumming hard and playing hard as a band.
Looking At My Face
Once an introvert decides to be a performer, we run into having to also decide whether we care about what people think of us as we get more and more “exposed.” This song is about answering that with “no.”
This groove shows how our band is really just a rhythm section with some singing added.
Hollow
Wrote this one during Black Lives Matter protests. I guess MLK did it, but for regular people it’s hard to fight violent assault with peaceful protest.
I always dug Coldplay ending a vocal line with the word “yellow.”
I’m In Love With That Woman Again
Being with someone a long time means falling in love over and over again.
I wanted to do a real analog 80s clap groove song. I went through a big reggae phase way back, so we added that in here too.
No One Is To Blame
I’m a big fan of 80s new wave. We released a Psychedelic Furs cover last year, but this time we picked Howard Jones, who was THE analog synth god back in the day. So much fun stripping this song down and rocking it out.
