Toronto post-punk trio Cola are back with their latest single and video, Skywriter’s Sigh — the closing track off their forthcoming third album, ‘Cost of Living Adjustment‘, dropping May 8 on Fire Talk Records. And honestly? It slaps in the most understated, poetic way possible.
The band — Tim Darcy (vocals/guitar), Ben Stidworthy (bass), and Evan Cartwright (percussion) — have been quietly building one of the most distinctive sounds in contemporary post-punk, and Skywriter’s Sigh feels like a culmination of all of it. Things sizzle. Things flicker. Darcy pleads in the chorus: “Please don’t romanticize a better time / They’ll put your cot outside in the rain.” Cheeky, poetic, and strangely devastating. Classic Cola.
A Self-Titled Album in Everything But Name
‘Cost of Living Adjustment’ — or C.O.L.A. — is the band’s most ambitious record to date, which is saying something given their rep for “tasteful minimalism.” This time around, they leaned into maximalism without losing any of that surgical precision they’re known for. The album wrestles with big stuff: socialism vs. hell, the strange ache of nostalgia, the rolling-the-dice nature of just… being alive. Heavy themes, but delivered with the kind of cool-headed elegance that makes Cola so compelling.
One of the big shifts on C.O.L.A. is the move away from sprechgesang — the talk-singing approach that defined much of Darcy’s earlier work — toward melody leading the lyric. The result is a record where every element is pulling equal weight, all parts in direct conversation with each other. As Darcy put it: “It’s not like we’re making a Cocteau Twins song.” Fair point, Tim.
The video for Skywriter’s Sigh was directed by Maxwell Farrell and is exactly as evocative as the track deserves. Watch it. Then watch it again.
Skywriter’s Sigh follows earlier singles Hedgesitting and Conflagration Mindset, both of which picked up serious love from The FADER, DIY, Consequence, Stereogum, and The Guardian. The hype is real — and earned.
‘Cost of Living Adjustment’ track list
- Forced Position
- Hedgesitting
- Fainting Spells
- Haveluck Country
- Satre-torial
- Polished Knives
- Much of a Muchness
- Third Double
- Conflagration Mindset
- Favoured Over The Ride
- Skywriter’s Sigh
Tour Dates
Cola hits the road hard this summer and fall — Australia, North America, and a full EU/UK run. Here’s the full schedule:
Australia
June 10 — Wollongong @ La La La’s
June 11 — Canberra @ UC Hub
June 13 — Newcastle @ The Hamilton Station Hotel
June 14 — Sydney @ Mary’s Underground
June 17 — Adelaide @ The Ed Castle
June 18 — Melbourne @ The Thornbury Theatre
June 19 — Castlemaine @ The Bridge Hotel
June 20 — Brisbane @ Against The Grain Festival
North America
July 8 — Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall
July 9 — Detroit, MI @ Lager House
July 10 — Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
July 11 — Minneapolis, MN @ Zhora Darling
July 12 — Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
July 14 — Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
July 15 — Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
July 16 — Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
July 17 — Ridgewood, NY @ TV Eye
July 18 — New York, NY @ Night Club 101
July 19 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
July 21 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
July 22 — Portland, ME @ Oxbow
July 23 — Brattleboro, VT @ Stone Church
July 24 — Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
Europe & UK
Oct. 28 — Paris, FR @ Petit Bain
Oct. 29 — Rotterdam, NL @ Rotwown
Oct. 30 — Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling (Paradiso)
Oct. 31 — Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Nov. 2 — Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew
Nov. 3 — London, UK @ The Garage
Nov. 4 — York, UK @ The Crescent
Nov. 5 — Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Nov. 6 — Newcastle upon Tyne, UK @ Brave Exhibitions (The Cluny)
Nov. 7 — Salford, UK @ The White Hotel
Nov. 10 — Berlin, DE @ Badehaus
Nov. 11 — Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
Nov. 13 — Gothenburg, SE @ Oceanen
Nov. 14 — Stockholm, SE @ Hus 7
Nov. 16 — Malmo, SE @ Plan B
Nov. 18 — Bredsten, DK @ Engelsholm Højskole
Follow Cola: Instagram | Website
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