Cold Engines Drop Their Highly Anticipated 7th Studio Album, 'Couyon'

North Shore Boston's retro-wave, power-pop, and melody-driven band Cold Engines release their most anticipated and ambitious album to date entitled 'Couyon.'

Comprised of David Drouin, Aaron Zaroulis, Geoff Pilkington, and Eric Reingold, Cold Engines have managed to land themselves over 140 shows supporting the likes of Los Lobos, Blues Traveler, Bobby Keyes, Rustic Overtones, and Soule Mounde. More recently, Cold Engines won "Rock Band Of The Year" at the New England Music Awards while also being nominated for "Song Of The Year" and "New Act Of The Year."

Now releasing their 7th full-length record, 'Couyon,' the album opens like a breath of fresh air through the introductory track, "Multiplication." A fluid and daydreamy track as lush as the morning sun, Cold Engines later makes their way into the second track, "Lightning Rod." David Drouin pours his warm vocals over the track accompanied by Cold Engines' dynamic instrumentals that shift from uptempo to dark and mysterious.

Moving into "I, Myself, and Me" with the utmost energy through their humming organ melodies and plucky electric guitar, Aaron Zaroulis makes the experience all the more engaging through his tight and intricate drum arrangements that push towards the fourth song, "Sleeping." While the song opens with a steady down-tempo and mysterious tone, Cold Engines later makes its way into a more psychedelic feel through retro synth use and heavy acoustic guitars.

Landing on the fifth track, "Genevieve," Cold Engines takes on more of an old-timey European approach through their use of unconventional instrumentation, eerie undertones, and ominous vocal layering. Holding our hands through the sixth track, "So Many Coins," Cold Engines offers a soothing piece for the soul while flowing our speakers with breathy vocal layering and an upbeat transition that brings us into a bright and tropical space. Ending the song with a cinematic piano outro, we absolutely adore the intricacy that Cold Engines has placed into this album thus far.

The 7th track, "Refraction," brings us into a nostalgic 90s space through their watery and brass-like synths while transitioning into a harmonious and ethereal soundscape that ends the song on the same upbeat note. Getting into the next track, "Rapid Eye Movement," Cold Engines offers an acoustic interlude lullaby that brings any listener into a daydream. Within the 9th track, Cold Engines hits us over the head with the powerhouse and exhilarating sonic atmosphere in "Flowers and Bullets," as they groove their way through with heavy saxophone melodies and an ode to disco.

Reaching the 10th track, "Lyle Loves It," Cold Engines brings us into the ambiance of a mid-tempo classic rock tune while pushing their reliable and recognizable piano breakdowns and lively synth arrangements. Healing our emotional wounds with the next track, "Waking," Cold Engines leads listeners down a wonderous sonic trail through their bright acoustic guitars, lush basslines, downtempo kicks, and a soulful organ. Landing on the album's outro track, "Powerful Pills," Cold Engines end the album off on a bright and beaming note through their staple piano melodies, warm acoustic guitars, tight drum breaks, and fluid basslines.

We genuinely feel refreshed after listening to the twelve tracks within Cold Engines' 7th studio album, 'Couyon,' as it brings listeners on various emotional adventures with help from their flawless transitions and whole-sounding grooves. Find 'Couyon' on all streaming platforms.

A warm welcome back to BuzzMusic, Cold Engines. We found ourselves lost in the grooves of each fluid and dynamic track within your recent album, 'Couyon.' What inspired the album's title?

The record is an in-depth exploration of emotional width. We really wanted to see how far we could push cinematic and emotional landscapes into the medium of our music. The title comes from Cajun slang and has many interpretations just like we hope the album will. The word “Couyon” itself is usual used to describe foolishness. Sticking it out in the music industry feels a bit like that.

When did you begin formulating and executing ideas and concepts for the album 'Couyon?'

It was probably in the early days of the pandemic when we really started getting the concept together. The involvement of Berklee professor John Funkhouser played a big role.

Could you break down the members within your group and how you handled your creative process for 'Couyon?' Would you say that your creative process was fairly similar for each track?

The group on this record was me, (David Drouin), Aaron Zaroulis, Geoff Pilkington, Eric Reingold, John Funkhouser, and Andrew Fogliano. We discussed the concept and I wrote the album at my studio. After it was complete I simply sent it around to the players in the band and everyone wrote and played beautifully over the tracks I created. Aaron Zaroulis, the drummer in Cold Engines, and I did the bulk of the conceptualization for the sound and flow of the album in its planning stages.

Was there a particular concept or theme that you had in mind when creating 'Couyon?' What did you want to get across to your listeners?

As I briefly mentioned above, the concept was to explore how far we could push a cinematic sense of emotional content within the confines of a record. I think we accomplished the goal with surprisingly potent results.

How does 'Couyon' contrast your previous albums? What makes this your group's most ambitious album to date?

It really is a wild departure from the last record just as that was a departure from the one before that. We are always in our own renaissance as far as moving forward and exploring new musical terrain. This record is different in so many ways that the music itself will have to do most of the talking. Thank you for taking an interest in this album and we hope people enjoy listening to it as much as we did create it!

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