If you’re an actual indie fan, Sorry is a celebrity band. Legends from the Windmill scene along with black midi, there’s something about friends getting together to make music that makes primal, imbibed sense. They’ve never been genre boxed, rather boxed themselves out of genres when music has felt too constrained. Post 2020, they were a gust of live shows and pop-up shows in the indie scene. They return with their 5th full length album (fine 4 with a 2 parter as their debut) called Cosplay. They sure do know how to dress the hell up.
Are they the quintessential sound of life in a megacity? From identity to running through emotions and life in general, Sorry has delved into what our lives mean to us and others quite well. Right Round the Clock, Starstruck instantly resonated with fans for this very reason. The duo Asha & Louis remain the core of the group, with Lincoln Barrett, Campbell Baum & Marco Pini adding to production and their live line-up. When Domino signed them on-they were one of the bands that kept their underground sound while trying to experiment with mainstream indie polish. Keep that last line in mind-we’re reviewing Cosplay.
Glitter, on some edges
When Jetplane released, a true Sorry fan will know that you’re listening to a one-off song that sounds incredible and very much like the band. It’s the second song on the album after Echoes, a meaty distorted bass line decorated with your post punk styled drum percussions. Asha’s vocals cut through as usual, delving deep into the emotion of the song and delineating ever so little from how the melody would project itself. Once again, they are a definition of how an indie band should portray themselves, perhaps-polished enough for people to name them as a favourite with a tattoo of them on their shoulder. Raw and grunge-y enough that many take your pick as a genuine apology.
Yet, Sorry lean more into the polished, shiny orb as a band this time much more. You’re expected to feel the doom of the mood much more, whether it be in the vocals or the faint distortion that makes it seem like a radio hidden gem. It’s evident that Sorry felt a need to deliver some power in tone for Cosplay. They do so with intent and design, making their sound the buzz that will echo through your cranium. Dispel all horrid thoughts, you’re being shown what to think. It is music like Love Posture that purposely disrupt the purview of this album.
The different phases/faces
There’s definitely no doubt as to why the album is called Cosplay. There is a wardrobe of genres and tones that Sorry have banked on, and you’re experiencing a runway one song after another. Just when the hissing distortion might make it seem like too much of a dark wave mask, they give you an acoustic gem where only the duo croon to grab your attention. Effects like in Antelope and Waxwing are what you wait for, creeping up on you just when you think the chorus is going to repeat for the sake of structure.
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Have they balanced their position as a group that represent the indie wave while having all the ingredients of live music? I’d say so. There are forgettable moments in the album which are more of Sorry’s older sound creeping in, but that’s a matter of opinion. I personally don’t like long waves of chords with vocals becoming a dissonant streak. It phases by like a blur to me, and these are pockets where Cosplay missed the mark for me.
What stands out
Indie pop gems like Life In This Body is something that will become a repeat song for me. The slow, droning vocal performance with the easygoing instrumentals are the kind of track I like to get lost in. The contrasts in Magic have that jazzy approach-which immediately carry that “indie badge”. However, it’s safe to say Sorry have been known for this-and you’re probably listening to the creator than a cheap imitation.
I really do appreciate the fact that Sorry still weighs so much importance to the aspects of their music that have the “live touch”. They might use 808s, synth pads and only have the vocal elements be the dynamic palette that colours the song differently. Even in this, they will make a unique presence, a muddy ripple on an otherwise still lake. Check below the dark waters, something you’ll never see is always there.
Experimenting, still
Is it their best work? I think they’ve progressed far beyond defining genres or their new work. They’re constantly experimenting, and I personally consider them a young band, truly pushing the sonic envelope. They don’t allow themselves to get complacent, and Cosplay might be their desire to see what they can do while having a good time making music. Amazing that the band whose riff based tune Starstruck tangentially brought them into our lives. At a time when algorithms have their say, these guys aren’t… well, you know:
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
