Cola get medieval on new single ‘Mendicant’ – Whistles, pipes, and poetic weirdness

Cola are back, and they’ve brought some seriously unexpected flair with them. The Montreal-based trio – Tim Darcy (guitar/vocals), Ben Stidworthy (bass/uilleann pipes wizard), and Evan J Cartwright (drums) – just dropped a new track called Mendicant, and it’s a twisty, woodwind-laced journey into the mind of a modern-day beggar… or maybe a medieval one? Either way, it’s weird in the best way.

Following up their critically-acclaimed sophomore LP ‘The Gloss,’ Mendicant finds Cola trading in their signature tight post-punk edge for something a little more… cloistered. The track kicks off with a startled “Good god!”, then spills into Darcy’s lyrical rabbit hole about popes, rule-breaking, and wandering in search of nothing in particular. Think of it as a monologue from a monk who listens to Fugazi.

What really makes “Mendicant” stand out? That lush combo of whistle and uilleann pipes (yup, the Irish ones). Apparently Ben’s been woodshedding on those in his spare time, and it shows — they add a haunting, head-nodding charm that makes this song feel like it’s walking backwards through time.

Darcy calls the lyrics “a playful investigation of being a humble beggar of sorts, a person freed from need with their aura primed to headnod to some whistle.” That’s… beautifully strange, and it totally tracks.

And just in case you need another reason to care: Cola are heading back out on the road. Their European tour kicks off in Ireland this May, where they’ll be joined by M(h)aol and Junk Drawer on select Irish dates, before trekking across Italy, France, Spain, and more. North America — you’re not forgotten. They’ll be back for a short run this summer, including a rooftop show in Brooklyn.

So here’s the drill:

• Stream Mendicant now wherever you get your music.
• Scope the full list of tour dates below.
• Add ‘The Gloss’ to your rotation if you somehow missed it — it’s post-punk perfection wrapped in minimalism and dry wit.

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Tour dates

Ireland + UK (w/ M(h)aol + Junk Drawer)
May 28 – Belfast, IE @ Black Box
May 29 – Derry, IE @ Sandos
May 30 – Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh
May 31 – Limerick, IE @ Dolan’s Kasbah Social Club
June 1–2 – Cork, IE @ Coughlans
June 3 – Waterford, IE @ Luca Records
June 4 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans

Europe
June 6 – Milan, IT @ Arci Bellezza
June 7 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Club
June 10 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
June 11 – Bruges, BE @ Cactus Club
June 12 – Lille, FR @ L’Aeronef
June 14 – Bordeaux, FR @ Deus Ex Machina
June 16 – Porto, PT @ Socorro
June 17 – Lisbon, PT @ ZDB Gallery
June 18 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Villanos
June 19 – Barcelona, ES @ La Nau

North America
July 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Rooftop
July 18 – Toronto, CA @ The Garrison
July 19 – Montreal, CA @ La Toscadura

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