Mondo Cozmo Drops Orchestral Rock Epic Single 'Angels'

Mondo Cozmo, the enigmatic musical force who commanded notoriety via critically acclaimed albums including, Plastic Soul and number one single “Shine,” has released a new single, “Angels.”

A wall of sound rock epic with momental lyrics that mark the passing of time.  “These statues of youth now covered in sand, offended walls of brazen land,” Cozmo’s arresting vocals proclaim against a stadium sized string arrangement that kicks off the track before cascading into a stunning cacophony of indie rock and orchestral pop. 

The track was premiered with Relix Magazine, who stated, ​​"'Angels' presents as a wall of sound rocker harnessed to triumphant lyrics... firmly establishes its sonic identity in the indie-rock realm, with a seismic string arrangement and distinctive vocals."

Cozmo stated,  “We’ve been covering The Verve's ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ for years. I wanted our own mid tempo song with the strings leading the charge. The idea was to strip the instrumentation back and shoot for a U2 ‘Live at Red Rocks’ feel. Lyrically, the song references ‘time’ - “These statues of youth, now covered in sand” - This will all go away someday and I should probably take the dog to the park.”

Mondo Cozmo, also known as Josh Ostrander, began his career as part of bands Laguardia and then trio Eastern Conference Champions. The latter experienced a degree of success, with a song featured on the Twilight soundtrack. But that wasn’t enough for the Philadelphia native. Soon, the band split and Ostrander began recording under the moniker Mondo Cozmo. Now on his own, Ostrander did everything it took to survive in order for him to make his music successful. He slept on sofas, cut costs when possible. Like all good things, success came after many years of hard work.

Cozmo has released a series of acclaimed albums including the critics darling Plastic Soul, which landed him number one single in “Shine,” and helped him find fans from Butch Vig to Bruce Springsteen, who praised his songwriting in a New York Times article. He has landed and lost major label deals, and opened for pretty much every band in America. He then forged an independent path, releasing critically acclaimed albums, and punched a glass window in a fit of frustration and nearly ended his career.

Various speed bumps like this spurred a transformative journey for Cozmo and he has taken bold steps, parting ways with his manager of 15 years and immersing himself in the world of acclaimed producers and engineers. The latest single is a hint of new music to come, perhaps it will be the best of his career, but you will all have to wait just a little bit longer to find out.

TOUR DATES

THU, MAY 16 - Saint Rocke, w/t Windser - Hermosa Beach, CA, United States

FRI, MAY 17 - Constellation Room  w/t Windser, Santa Ana, CA, United States

WED, MAY 22 - Brick & Mortar Music Hall w/t Windser, San Francisco, CA, United States

FRI, MAY 24 - JaM Cellars Ballroom w/t Cold War Kids, Napa, CA, United States

SAT, MAY 25 - BottleRock Napa Valley 2024, Napa County, CA, United States

Photo credit: Koury Angelo