An architect of one of the generation’s most influential musical movements of the 2010s, Filipino-American artist Cold Hart co-founded the GOTHBOICLIQUE collective and changed the definition of punk and emo forever. Today he has released his fourth solo album ‘Pretty In The Dark’. Out digitally and physically via Epitaph Records, the album fuses the experimental ethos of GBC with the hazy post-punk world he has steadily built around him.
Fondly looking at his old material as a time capsule of a distant past that shaped his rich future, Cold Hart’s latest single ‘Rap Show’ is a homage to his hip-hop roots tinged with his emo inclinations. A visual love letter to live music, the accompanying music video captures the euphoria and intimacy of a club show as Coldy performs the track with YAWNS on guitar.
“GBC always existed in between the worlds of rock and rap so coming up we were playing lots of rap shows,” he explains. “In this song I talk about how being in the crowd and a little anxious turns out to be so much more fun than trying to be cool and go backstage and all that. I want kids to really enjoy the experience of shows.”
Much has changed for Cold Hart since GBC’s blog-era reign. While his 2021 album Every Day Is A Day was created amid welcoming his newborn daughter and moving from his native Long Beach to Long Island with his new family, Pretty In The Dark is an exhale as he settles into that routine. He’s now a father of two, and after moving deeper into Long Island and adjusting to the rhythm of adulthood, he’s learning to take the nuances of life in stride. Sparked by a new outlook on darkness, Cold Hart reflects on the title’s tongue-in-cheek play on words: “I like standing out in the dark woods and feeling how calm it is. That’s how the album feels; instead of the dark being scary, it’s nice.”
Striking the right balance between his past and present, for the new record Cold Hart tapped Grammy Award winning producer, engineer, and mixer Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Code Orange), as well as longtime collaborator and fellow GOTHBOICLIQUE member, YAWNS. A refinement of his syncretic approach to songwriting, he drew inspiration from goth icons such as The Cure and Lebanon Hanover while pairing the dark trap leanings of Atlanta producers like Metro Boomin. Combined with a diet of 80’s punk and 90’s RnB consumed as a kid, his retroactive discovery of bands like Brand New and Saves the Day only further enhanced his vision. As delicate pianos and vast guitar-led abysses make way for the familiar comfort of rumbling bass and 808s, layered harmonies and soaring falsettos clear a path for his most vulnerable collection yet.
Pretty In The Dark Tracklisting
- 2017 feat. GBC
- Candlelight, Pt. 2
- Rap Show
- Bag of Hearts
- What Remains
- Pretty In The Dark
- TSOM
- Gazer
- Bold Riley
- My Tasks Alone
- Bottle Run Dry
For more information on Cold Hart, visit:
