Cold Equations vocalist Drew Kohl draws from Indie Rock inspirations in order to find his place on the music scene.
On May 5th, Cold Equations released their newest single, “Identity Crisis”. A band from Nashville, Tennessee, Cold Equations began their foray into music on rocky terms with Country-Americana, their genre as originally intended. However, through a quick shift in direction preceded by some major introspection, it is more than fair to say that Cold Equation has found its own footing in Indie Rock. And, as is apparent in the new single, that footing is rock-solid.
Cold Equations’ Single Evokes Their Old Dilemma
Listening to the opening instrumentation of this track, I got tones of Elliot Smith and other Indie sounds. However, this song also provided hints of the kind of percussive backing one might expect from Foo Fighters. I appreciated this, but what came next made me giddily question that previous analysis almost right away.
That is, this is when the vocals of Drew Kohl kicked in. Kohl’s voice feels like a healthy blend of Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins and Ben Hibbard of The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie fame. There is a certain level of vocal prowess that one needs in order to achieve this, some of which is nurtured and some of which is simply nature. You need to have the range of both, but be somewhere between the two in terms of roughness. Kohl achieves this well, and when listening to “Identity Crisis” for the first time, I was awed by his voice.
But Kohl isn’t just singing on this track, as he is also serving as the guitarist for this track. The tones provided by the instrumentation are often harsh in their melody. We mean that only as a positive, however, as they drive the concepts of the lyrics along. They also shine with open tones at times, much like the lyrics aim to do.
Speaking of the lyrics, the song conveys the inner conflict you may have when you aren’t being yourself anymore. This directly echoes Kohl’s situation when struggling in Country-Americana. There is a serious identity crisis, as the song’s title suggests, but it seems the band is past this.
“Identity Crisis” Is A Powerful Single
Cold Equations’ single is one that truly showcases what it means to get out from a place of inner discomfort. When I listen to this track I can feel the pain of Drew Kohl’s last few years’ lack of direction. I am excited about what comes next for Cold Equations, because this single blew me away. Hopefully it does the same for you.
You can listen to “Identity Crisis”, Cold Equations’ newest single, on Spotify!
