London-based artist Al Cologne writes songs about identity, control, and transformation – songs about trying to inhabit your own body, and then trying again the following day.
Their debut single, ‘milk teeth’, has only been out for a few short weeks, but is fast approaching 10,000 streams already. No mean feat.
A flowing acoustic guitar melody locks in with the beat to give the track an infectious pulse. Al’s vocal has a little distortion, which gives it a sharper edge, and it’s a really crisp, tactile sound.
Things feel calm. Intimate. Effortlessly subtle melodies curl around each other, and well-placed backing harmonies flesh things out at just the right moments.
The lyrics have a sensual intensity and tell quite a steamy story. Lyrical honesty is front and centre here. Al writes, “I want it to feel real. If something’s messy, I let it be messy.”
You turned up like September
Unwrapped me with the evening
Dressed it up with gold dust
And took me in the garden
‘milk teeth’ never feels overblown or overproduced. The sparse arrangement highlights the vocal melody with streamlined precision. The final verse briefly strips things back to the bone before building back up again, and we are happy just to sit in the pocket of that groove and ride it until the end.
Written by Grubby
