Featured Artist: Cosmo's Midnight
Australia boasts some of the biggest names in electronic music today, like Flume, Rüfüs Du Sol, and Alison Wonderland to name a few. Despite the entire country having a smaller population than the state of California, there is a vibrant culture blooming within and taking the international stage by storm. Creatives from all over the world are turning to the Aussies, looking for what’s going to be the next big thing in music. One of the most prolific groups deserving of this attention is the bubbly and eclectic duo: Cosmo’s Midnight.
Cosmo’s Midnight is comprised of twin brothers Cosmo and Pat Liney, hailing from a small area outside of Sydney. Their originality shines through their music, from classic disco influences to chillwave beats, and never shying away from the occasional hip-hop track. For the cherry on top, the brothers frequently adorn colorful tracksuits and vintage Etsy attire. They embody their work from the inside out.
They’ve been making music since 2011, but their small projects quickly became internationally recognized after winning a Beatport contest, where they remixed Flume’s song “Sleepless.” Cosmo’s Midnight mastered their take on the famous single, and this helped to kickstart their career.
Creativity is something that was incubated in the Liney household from the very beginning. Their father was a painter and their mother a composer, writing music for Hollywood films in Los Angeles during their youth. They encouraged Cosmo and Pat to sing in their school choir from a young age, and they never placed monetary goals over more artistic ones. The drive to create is hereditary with the brothers.
Cosmo’s Midnight has continuously released new singles and EPs over the years, but they released their debut album What Comes Next in 2018. The album features 12 songs with collaborations from Winston Surfshirt, Jay Prince, and Tove Stryke. No two songs sound the same, ranging from slow piano melodies, R&B, hip-hop, and beautiful instrumentals.
Pat provided backup vocals here and there on a few of the songs, but for the first time ever in his career, he sang the entirety of the lyrics on one of their tracks, particularly in the song “Polarised.” It was a unique experience for him.
“With the lyrics, you can project any meaning you want to it but it’s about feeling polarised. I only actually sing polarised once in the song, the rest of the time I’m actually saying paralysed, but yeah. It’s sort of about being at a crossroads and feeling stuck, and although it wasn’t how I was feeling at the time, it was the feeling that the song gave me,” he stated in an interview with Pilerats. “Listening back to it, it’s now one of my favourite tracks on the album, particularly how the tracks sort-of sounds self-discovered. I didn’t really have to work for it, it just arrived…”
Cosmo’s Midnight will be performing at The Bunkhouse Saloon this Thursday, June 6, along with Pluko. You can purchase your tickets here. You can see their full North American Tour schedule here, which features upcoming sets from them for Splash House and Electric Forest.
- Written by Malika Pal