Premiere: Cosmo Gold's Swirly, Cosmic Debut "Dark Matter"

Cosmo Gold’s debut single “Dark Matter” offers comfort and support, wrapped in indie rock glitter.

Listen: “Dark Matter” – Cosmo Gold

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You have dark matter inside, I’m right beside you.

We all have a “shadow side of ourselves,” says Emily Gold, lead singer for LA rock band Cosmo Gold. Whether or not we want to let it out, we all have dark matter in us, roiling away inside our bodies like the edges of the universe. And we all know the type of relationship that pushes and pulls at this idea: one person orbiting the other, refusing to let their darkness spill forth in order to keep the peace. “Dark Matter” aims to confront that.

Dark Matter - Cosmo Gold — Dark Matter – Cosmo Gold

Atwood Magazine is proud to premiere “Dark Matter,” the first track off of Cosmo Gold’s upcoming debut EP, Waiting On the City (due out June 2019). The band grew out of the solo project of musician Emily Gold, who has described the collaborative process as vulnerable and healing. The band is rounded out by Peter Maffei, Stephen Burns, and Mike Deluccia.

The song is a confrontation and an olive branch. Gold describes the song as a message to her partner, who she says was raised to tamp down his emotions, rather than confronting them. She lets him know that he “could share his secrets, his confessions, he could be angry or sad, even if it was directed at [her] and [she] would still be there.” The weighty subject matter doesn’t make the song a slog, however – it is buoyed by a pleasing, sweetly psychedelic rock instrumentation, Gold’s voice a vulnerable lilt atop the guitars. The sound is often reminiscent of spangly 90s alternative pop and rock, echoing Dido in places and Mazzy Star in others.

Lyrically, Gold uses cosmic imagery to hold her message aloft. Her words are poetic, yet anchored in the concrete:

There’s a black hole in your bed sheets
there’s a shadow in the door
you hold your secrets like a bible
Stellar savior, crushing force

Later, the simile is mirrored in the second verse: “You hold your demons like a baby.” The incredible specificity of her lyrics keep them from floating away from her. They’re conceptual and lofty, but also pure heart. When she sings, “I’ll be around, I’ll be your moon,” it’s a promise. Ultimately, the song is about giving – the generosity of giving someone safety, comfort, a place to lay their burdens, is an unparalleled gift in a relationship. The repeated refrain of, “You have dark matter inside, I’m right beside you,” is unflinchingly true. There are no qualms, no qualifying factors. It’s the kindest thing you can say to someone suffering from the smallest to the largest darknesses.

If your fire is turning blue,
if they get the best of you
I’ll be around, I’ll be your moon
I’ll watch it all go down with you
Watch it all go down with you,
watch it all go down

“I’ll watch it all go down with you, watch it all go down with you,” she sings, and it’s felt. It’s likely that moving to a full band was the best possible move for Gold: it’s clearly allowed her the creative and comfortable space to make beautiful music that soothes and excites. Bright things are on the horizon for Cosmo Gold.

Listen: “Dark Matter” – Cosmo Gold

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