Cola return with Cost of Living Adjustment, a sort-of self-titled third album from the Montreal trio of Tim Darcy, Ben Stidworthy and Evan Cartwright. The acronym C.O.L.A. doubles as both band name and loose conceptual frame, circling questions of economics, ideology and the gamble of simply getting by.
Across the record, Cola weigh socialism against something closer to existential dread, tracing the eerie pull of nostalgia and the strange comfort it can bring. The writing is oblique and occasionally disorienting, but never directionless. Instead, the trio refine their taut rhythms and skeletal arrangements into something more expansive, where clipped guitar lines and elastic bass give way to moments that feel unexpectedly luminous.
Following two acclaimed studio albums praised by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Stereogum, Cost of Living Adjustment finds Cola pushing further into abstraction while holding fast to melody and mood. It’s restless, thoughtful post-punk that balances tension with a stark, painterly sense of beauty.
Pickup available at Dreamhouse Records London
Usually ready in 24 hours
