I'm a fool for genre fusions. Yeah, thrash metal is cool, but what happens when you throw a little jazz in the mix? Or smash black into baroque? It's these fun retreats from the norm that separate a good act from a fresh one. Cotillion may have the the marks of something in its infancy, but that only intrigues me all the more. With a take on instrumental metal that took me on a walk through some of my favorite bands and styles, there was little not to like.
“Waking Apnea” is a fun opener with its spacy electronic prog intro and crunchy alt rock hooks. The riffs and effects at times reminded me of early Incubus. But there is more to come throughout the album's relatively short duration. It's like progressive, post-hardcore minus the vocals. And the added dose of electronica is a prescription for pure awesome.
“Vodka Tectonic” (great title) is another excellent track that can only be best described as “quirky.” Meanwhile, “F/K/A TBD” has banjo to break up the distortion and rumbling bass lines. There are Genghis Tron comparisons all over this one, as well as my personal favorite “Cardboard Tamagotchi,” The synth additions and unusual mash-ups just work so well, and I hope to see more of this from Cotillion in the future. In full effect, the electronics to sound like a metal-injected cross between cEvin Key and Savage Garden.But there are plenty of other sounds to play with in this sandbox. “99¢ Horizon” gets a little funkay (not a spelling error) before turning into a lovely blast of very Hopesfall-like atmospheric chords. Then on the indie side of things, “Watermelons...” displays a lighter side while still being angsty a la Cursive or mewithoutyou.
So if you are craving some instrumental post-indietronicore (patent pending), The Debutantes is your one-stop shop. With some growth that comes with time and further resources-that would be where you come in-Cotillion has some real potential for the future. I have been assured that the group is already wrapping up mixes for a future release, so strike while the iron is hot. Name your price on bandcamp.