The Cold Stares - Heavy Shoes

15-10-2021

Authenticity. A word that is frequently used in describing The Cold Stares, and frequently missing from modern music discussions. "We're not just a blues band, or just a rock band, or anything other than who we are", front man Chris Tapp says. There is a power and a realness that is arrived at by just doing what you do best. The Cold Stares do that. Formed in 2010 after the duo had spent a number of years in other bands, Chris Tapp and Brian Mullins got together for the sole reason to just jam. No preconceived notions on what the project should be. Just do what comes naturally. The result is a hard rocking, story based brand of rock and roll that is sung from the soul. Chris' unique guitar rig, along with Mullin's giant bass drum provides a visual and sonic landscape for the two to travel on different paths than other acts. In fact, you may find yourself looking for another member behind the curtains but it's just these two men. "The first time I saw them," says Nashville radio personality Dan Buckley, "I thought they had at least two other musicians secretly behind the curtain. There's just no way that sound comes from the two of them." "This will go on for an hour. Between songs, people will whisper. They're asking one another if anyone knows who the hell this is. And it's here that you and everyone in the room will have the same realization just about everyone else has the first time they see they hear the Cold Stares live: These guys are better than the band you came to see." Indiana duo The Cold Stares have released their new album "Heavy Shoes" via Mascot Records. Their story alone would be enough for a drama series, cancer, suicide, betrayal, divorce, loss, self-identity crisis, survival, and ancestral skeletons. Write about what you know, they say. There's a richness running through the songs with dark, multi-layered narratives that course through every twist and turn. Dirty fuzzed-up rock and roll meet blues, garage, desert rock and a Southern Gothic sensibility. Sombre storytelling is etched into their songs with unflinching honesty. For Chris Tapp and Brian Mullins, authenticity is their hallmark. Recorded largely at Sam Phillips Recording Studio, Memphis, with the remaining at their studio in Indiana - this Memphis vibe has seeped into the record. How could it not, the music, the history, the people, the Mississippi river. Mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers) and mastered by Andy Vandette (Beastie Boys/Smashing Pumpkins), "Heavy Shoes" is their heaviest record yet. Dirty fuzzed-up rock and roll meet blues, garage, desert rock and a Southern Gothic sensibility, an intense amalgam of Led Zeppelin meets Free, Soundgarden meets Black Crowes. Sombre storytelling is etched into their songs with unflinching honesty. For Chris Tapp and Brian Mullins, authenticity is their hallmark. Their story alone would be enough for a drama series, cancer, suicide, betrayal, divorce, loss, self-identity crisis, survival, and ancestral skeletons. Write about what you know, they say. There's a richness running through the songs with dark, multi-layered narratives that course through every twist and turn. Most of the album was recorded in a single day at Sam Phillips fabled recording studio in Memphis, and the Memphis vibe has seeped deep into the record.

A1 Heavy Shoes

A2 40 Dead Men

A3 Take This Body From Me

A4 Hard Times

A5 In The Night Time

A6 Strange Light

B1 Prosecution Blues

B2 It's A Game

B3 Save You From You

B4 You Wanted Love

B5 Election Blues

B6 Dust In My Hands