Texan collective Coldwards aim to stand out in the busy music crowd with a percussion and vocals-dominated alternative metal sound that they describe as “unique and refreshingly different.”
The Houston band started with former Saliva drummer Paul Crosby writing music to break the boredom during the pandemic lockdowns. He shared the songs he’d written with his sons Sean (vocals and guitar) and Zac (vocals and electronics) and they initially started collaborating on them for fun. But, as Paul tells us: “The songs kept getting better and better and eventually we decided to start this band.” Paul then added guitarist Michael Friese and bassist Richie Hey to complete the Coldwards lineup.
On the sound they’ve crafted, Paul said: “We intentionally write what naturally comes out of us, and also do our best to not sound like everything else out there. But as with everyone, we all have our own musical influences and you can definitely hear some of those in our songs. Between the five of us, we listen to everything from country to death metal to rap to industrial, and I think our sound is a culmination of all of those things.”
Our latest taste of this is the single Bad News, which was released in August. It opens up with funky synths that continue alongside chunky guitars and drop into a laid-back opening verse. The heavy guitars and synth return as it dives into a big chorus of “Who do you think held onto the wheel? I keep hitting all the dead ends with people like you, Who keep makin’ old friends with bad bad news, Everything you brought on yourself, I don’t have the soul to pretend with people like you, Who keep makin’ old friends with bad bad news.”
Another laid-back verse picks up pace halfway through and feeds into another big chorus. That ends with aggressive guitars and more intense vocals, with a pulsing synth building a huge atmosphere. The guitars drop out as a final blast of the chorus begins, before a lively conclusion.
On the track, Paul said: “The reception to Bad News has been overwhelmingly good so far. The single by far is doing better at this point than any of our previous singles. Expect heavy guitar riffs with big melodic hooks and driving drums that draw you in and keep you there.” Check it out in the video here:
The track follows on from last year’s debut album Bloodwork, which highlights the band’s diverse approach. There’s powerful tracks like Stained On You, the lively Whirlwind that lives up to its name, the more rap-rock/nu-metal style Say Something, and a few more laid-back, anthemic tracks like Say That You’re Not.
The quintet bring a range of influences to the table, including the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Architects, Three 6 Mafia, Linkin Park, Skinny Puppy, Papa Roach, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse and Metallica.
And on what inspires them to write music, Paul tells us: “We don’t write songs with any preconceived concept. We just write what flows out of us naturally, and then mold the songs to any personal situation that any of us happen to be going through at the time or have gone through in the past.”
Bad News is the first single from Coldwards’ upcoming five-track EP of the same name. They’ll be releasing a new single every couple of months, ahead of releasing the full EP in the spring of next year. They’ll also have a handful of shows before the end of the year, ahead of playing festivals and more tours in 2024.
You can follow Coldwards on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and YouTube.
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