Cosmic Sans Band

Cosmic Sans, the emerging western psychedelic rock outfit out of Missoula, Montana, has steadily gained a loyal following in western Montana, performing in gold mine ghost towns, dilapidated boomtown union halls, and backwoods logging saloons to breathe life into a wild and desolate landscape. The band’s self-titled, self-produced debut release was released in fall 2021, and the band has experienced a steady rise since then, highlighted by a Pacific Northwest tour in the summer of 2022. This year started off with two showcase performances at Boise’s Treefort Music Fest, which featured such inspirations as Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Drugdealer. Cosmic Sans has spared no expense with Psychedelicatessen, releasing it on local Missoula label Drag Bunt Records, which has featured music from Jeff Ament (of Pearl Jam acclaim). The band had a near-capacity album release show held at the renowned Top Hat Lounge in downtown Missoula on the night of the release.

Psychedelicatessen marks a shift from the self-titled record’s noodly jams and loose song structures to a more melodically mature material with eclectic influences ranging from punk and noise to tropicália and alt-country. With Psychedelicatessen, Cosmic Sans has dug into a sound emulating contemporary hard rock like Queens of the Stone Age and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, yet still tapping into a distinctly Montanan folk and alt-country vein akin to staples such as Big Thief, Gram Parsons, and Wilco. 

Lyricist and songwriter Jake Howell conjures up words and melodies to bring life to a rural landscape that is both barren and beautiful, drawing inspiration from artists like Ryan Sambol of The Strange Boys and authors such as Cormac McCarthy and Robert Leckie. Lead guitarist and producer Seamus Jennings, grew up on a farm on the northwestern plains tucked up against the Rocky Mountains on the Missouri River.  This pastoral foundation let Jennings put the rural Montanan lens onto Howell’s concepts. Jennings’ production utilizes a lush, analog recorded sound to bring ideas together, emulating the sound of artists such as Todd Rundgren and Tennis. Rhythm guitarist Will Stoskopf acts as a glue bridging Jennings and Howell’s thoughts together, using synthesizers and effects pedals for diverse sound textures inspired by groups such as Swans, Death Grips and Radiohead. Drummer Cole Bronson and bassist Lane Ulberg add an unshakeable foundation for the rest of the band’s experimentation, while still being able to weave themselves in and out of time at a moment’s notice.

Cosmic Sans is not to be missed.