Nashville | June 23, 2023: “Set the Boy Free” is the third single released by the Nashville-based Jangle-Rock trio Cold Equations, a band who combine top-tier songwriting, musicianship, and recording/production to create music that is sincere from its writer and easy to save and playlist for the listener. Filled with hooks and arcs, this third single is another “song of summer” to discover and share with fans looking for indie rock genre’s “best-kept secret”. The song takes its name and sonic inspiration from Johnny Marr’s autobiography, Set The Boy Free, a book that played a pivotal role in shaping the band’s creation.
Quoting the recent review of the band’s previous single “Eraser” published by Nashville.com, this third release continues “Carrying the torch of jangle-rock luminaries such as The Flaming Lips, Guster, and Fountains of Wayne, this Nashville-based crew delivers a lyrical tale of love’s evanescence wrapped in a delectable sound recipe of searing guitar work, pristine vocals, and tantalizing hooks.”
“Set The Boy Free” is written by guitarist and lead vocalist Drew Kohl about a highly relatable concept. It is a song about needing to let go of someone or something you love.
Kohl explains:
The song itself is about needing to let go of someone/something you love. Sometimes we want to hold on to someone we care about and it’s hard to let go even if that’s what’s best for them. Sometimes love can be selfish and we don’t think about the other person’s desires or goals. If we really care about their happiness sometimes we need to let them go and live their life. I thought about a young kid who wants to move out and follow their dream and the difficulty of their parents allowing them to leave.”
Drew Kohl
Drew adds:
“Set The Boy Free” is a song I wrote soon after forming the Cold Equations lineup with Ryan Dishen (Drums) and John O’Brien (Bass) in early 2022. Set The Boy Free is the name of the autobiography by my favorite guitarist, Johnny’s Marr. I was inspired by the title and also the history of how Cold Equations was formed. I met Ryan Dishen in 2019 at a show in Nashville, he was playing with his punk band Slump Test. At that time I was really looking to start a punk band. I overheard him talking about Johnny Marr and The Smiths and I chimed in and we hit it off. He mentioned he was reading Johnny Marr’s autobiography so I bought a copy and read it as well. Soon we had our first jam session in his basement and those were the very beginnings of the final Cold Equations line-up. John O’Brien had been a friend and fellow guitar teacher with me for years and a big fan of the first album so we brought him on board and the trio was set.
Drew Kohl
ABOUT: Disillusioned with the Americana scene in Nashville, Cold Equations is the result of a subversive and clandestine songwriting operation in the bedroom of guitarist/vocalist Drew Kohl. Seeking refuge in late-night writing sessions, Kohl felt free to explore darker themes while drawing from indie rock influences including Pavement, Elliott Smith, and Johnny Marr. After meeting Ryan Dishen (drums) at a punk show and John O’Brien (Bass) the three-piece started writing and rehearsing the material for their next album ‘Cold Equations’ Kohl tours regularly outstanding artists in the singer-songwriter, folk, and rock genre. Most notably he toured with American artist Kiely Connell where they were the opener for Ray LaMontagne for his 2022 tour. Performances included dates at The Chicago Theater and The Louisville Palace among many others.
Working with producer Paul Moak and Engineer Zack Zinck, Cold Equations recorded their self-titled album at Smoakstack Studio in Nashville, TN. The album is set to release in June of 2023. The name Cold Equations is a reference to the 1954 science-fiction short story “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin, a moral dilemma of survival and sacrifice.
Press:
York Calling, June 2023, “Discovery: Cold Equations”
“The vocals are instantly compelling, drawn out and emotive, they’ll grab you by the heart and not let go. It’s definitely one to put on during a long, hot, lazy afternoon when you fancy getting a little deep into your thoughts.”
Nashville.com June 2023, Review of “Eraser”
“Our latest Nashville Pick is Cold Equations and their single Eraser – Music City’s hot new act, Cold Equations, is cranking out their second single, “Eraser,” on June 2nd, poised to be your new indie rock anthem of the summer. Carrying the torch of jangle-rock luminaries such as The Flaming Lips, Guster, and Fountains of Wayne, this Nashville-based crew delivers a lyrical tale of love’s evanescence wrapped in a delectable sound recipe of searing guitar work, pristine vocals, and tantalizing hooks.”
SwitchBitch Noise “Cold Equations’ “Identity Crisis” Seems to Remedy Theirs”
“…when the vocals of Drew Kohl kicked in. Kohl’s voice feels like a healthy blend of Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins and Ben Hibbard of The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie fame. There is a certain level of vocal prowess that one needs in order to achieve this, some of which is nurtured and some of which is simply nature. You need to have the range of both, but be somewhere between the two in terms of roughness. Kohl achieves this well, and when listening to “Identity Crisis” for the first time, I was awed by his voice.”
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