Less is More, Definitely More: Cola Releases New Single ‘Pulling Quotes’

Canadian band Cola has popularised its direct style of indie-rock music by making the understated understandable. Through energetic tracks like ‘Water Table’ and ‘So Excited’, it has managed to curate a sound that amplifies its DIY ethos with a unique purpose that many bands have been unable to master. 

Their latest single ‘Pulling Quotes’ is a standout track from its new album ‘The Gloss’. The piece successfully embodies the band's fantastic ability to compress the necessary angst of indie-rock music into a largely minimal musical palette. Much like the other tracks on the new album, ‘Pulling Quotes’ is sharper than the band's previous material, yet its indefinable simplicity never seems to be void of integrity or tenderness. By focusing on the quality of its sound and songwriting, ‘Pulling Quotes’ is sincere, void of unnecessary guitar trinkets, and extremely listenable.

The song itself is formed from a largely minimal structure and aligned in typically simplified unison, the bass and drum parts provide a potent foundation for the melody to lean upon.  While razor-sharp guitar chords interrupt the song's relaxed pace, they provide a necessary atmosphere for lead singer Tim Darcy to play upon. Although each instrument remains relatively stagnant throughout the track, there is no doubting their influence upon the general sound. In many ways, less is more, definitely more with this band, as its likable laid-back style shines above the moulds of melody. 

‘Pulling Quotes’ once again reiterates lead singer Tim Darcy’s understated style of lyricism, and his slouched and stylised delivery only proves to amplify the band's evident swagger. Through ‘Pulling Quotes’ and their new album ‘The Gloss’, Cola has signalled a new iteration of its much-loved sound, one that’s refined of all the excitable jitters of the band's previous work and steadied by an admirable understanding that a simpler sound is not any less entertaining.

Ewan Bourne

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Image: ‘Pulling Quotes’ Official Single Cover