Rainy Day Sunshine- SuperCoze (Album Review)
As I sit here in my room during a pandemic writing about Cody (or SuperCoze) and their wonderful surf-pop-rock album, I am immediately hit with rays of sun in my chest and I have to sit back for a second. Hearing these songs recorded and in my headphones was a very surreal experience, as I’ve known Cody and their band for several years. I heard these songs before Cody had a band, and to hear them fully realized on this album is akin to a lovely day at the beach here in my room in March.
Cody Choi is a longtime participant and contributor in the Seattle music scene, and with multiple instruments under their belt including bass, guitar, keys, omnichord and vocals, they also have an remarkable aptitude towards poetry and art of all styles. Choi is not only a multi-talented musician, but also a full-time freelance artist, which in the face of global uncertainty is probably a very scary place to be, but Cody approaches this time with grace and a facilitative and kind air to them, while helping and enriching the lives of artists from all walks of life. While making music that wraps itself around you and holds on for dear life. I promise these songs will get stuck in your head in the best way.
The opening song on this 10 track experience is “Head In The Sand” and this bouncy, surfy track is immediately met with vulnerable lyrics from Choi: “Every night I am out; living a life full of doubt” which when combined with the treble-y guitar tones and tight drum grooves by Seattle drummer Baylee Harper, is a stark and distinctive opening to the album. This is also a characteristic of Cody’s music that I quite like and one that is very effective throughout; the lyrics that stick in your brain and heart, and genius harmonic and melodic composition. Cody also sings lyrics like “...Away from this misery” that are met with gorgeous harmonies, and when they are at the end of the line or phrase you are left wanting so much more. After another short verse with lyrics that make you really feel the sand in your mouth: “to all my friends down below; shoulders deep in the earth and the snow” we are met with a section with a new harmonic progression and a beautiful connecting bass line played by Seattle producer and musician West Lowe, who also produced, mixed and mastered the album. West’s bass playing throughout the album perfectly fills in the harmonic space between Cody’s chords and lyrics. This hell of an opening song is met with the lovely intro guitar riff as the outro, leading us into the next tune.
The second song is “Thistle”, one of my personal favorites. The drum intro by Harper coupled with whistling is followed by a tender moment of just Cody and their guitar, leading into the next verse that’s full of harmonies and more of Cody’s signature vulnerable poetry and almost-happy musical motifs. This song and “Head In The Sand” work so nicely as the first two songs, like a mini story, or like we are let in on one of Cody’s secrets. Choi ends the song with “The way to a better path is to let go” which is such a beautiful ending line, and the fact that everything ends right then and there really makes us, as the listener, feel like we have just let go of something that was harboring in our soul.
After holding on to Cody’s each and every word of the first two tunes, the third song,”Overriding System” starts out with an adorable melody created by ukulele, omnichord, and electronics. We are transported to a whole other world, maybe still on the beach, but this time we’re somewhere in space. We get to sink our teeth and our own experience into lyrics like “I am happy today, and I am feeling okay; and I am over you” with more of Choi’s signature vocalizing, which for the first time is paired with some vocal editing and effects which adds to the space-y and beach-y image of the tune. This song really shows off Choi’s compositional prowess, and their individuality as an artist, and I hope after this album that you associate Cody’s voice with the omnichord like I do.
Then comes the song “True” which if you are at all feeling down about yourself, I hope you really hear Cody say “You go out and see the light within you is true” because when Baylee and Cody sing that together I feel the same ray of sunshine in my chest that I described earlier. This song sits so nicely in Choi’s niche genre, and it’s amazing how many songs Cody has written that fit into this family of songs, that each have their own distinct personality.
After the sweet 45 second interlude track is the next full song “Premonition” and I can't say every song is my favorite but this one is definitely up there. I remember hearing Cody play this song in a house show, far away from both of our own houses, and you could actually see and feel the comfortability in the crowd that Cody and their band create. A room full of bubbly, joyus, and smiling concert goers is the best way to describe it. Premonition is a tune that weasels its way into your heart and makes a home there. Lyrics like “Times of need when you’re built for speed” and the chorus “Go, let it go, walk into the unknown, overthrown, I have grown from the ways you have shown” really solidify the aesthetic of SuperCoze as a whole; the primary colors, the bouncy/punk/surf sounds and the poetry that goes along with it. Cody’s vocal prowess is also showcased in this song, and I feel like I haven’t given their voice enough attention. Their tone and phrasing is extremely enthralling, and they truly have a voice I have never heard before. When paired with either Baylee’s lovely higher voice, or more of their own voice, Cody’s voice blends like butter with whatever instruments they are singing over.
The following song “The Old Ways” further builds on Cody’s musical mastery. The chromatic movements in the riff in this song are refreshing, as we have heard largely diatonic progressions leading up to this tune. Cody also sings the major 7th of the chord a lot of the time which allows their voice to sit nicely atop not only the rhythm guitar part but also the soft solo guitar going on a little quieter in the mix. This song shows off Cody’s ability to write phenomenal tension and release into their songs, and still obscure where the song is going to go.
When the next song, “Penny For Your Thoughts” begins, we are spoken to, softly, by a ukulele. Cody writes so wonderfully for the uke, and in this album it is treated like a fine dessert that we don’t eat too much of, but we have a slice, and that's just the write amount. The uke with Baylee Harper coming on on drums is so cool to hear, it’s like they are in different rooms in the same house, and after the more guitar heavy last two songs it is refreshing to hear. While it’s eventually joined by the full band and more sick effects similar to Overriding System, the uke stil stands out and adds a great texture to the track.
The penultimate track “The Scene” feels more current, like we’re hearing the thoughts as they leave Cody’s head, or like a journal entry. The song being so short also alludes to this either being a current feeling, or that it’s something Cody quickly closed the book on. Either way, it's a fantastic ending to the vocal part of the album, and we are left with the second of the short interludes, which feels like the cool down after a workout, or maybe we’re landing back on earth, or getting home from the beach. Whichever metaphor you want for this album, and whatever experience you project onto these songs, there’s something for everyone. Cody is one of the most effective songwriters in the Seattle scene today, and this album is such a beautiful, showstopping first record.
Congrats to Cody and the band! <3