With a mysterious, blue-haired cartoon woman in the moonlight as its cover art, The Cordial Sins’ single “Angela” might seem like it’s just another guy-pines-for-girl tune. About half way through the ambient rock song, though, vocalist Lucas Harris breaks the news to us that Angela is gone, and melancholy chaos ensues.
A five-piece band from Columbus, Ohio, The Cordial Sins have a knack for taking the expected and twisting it on its side. “Angela” starts out with a folky twang as a backdrop to Harris’ cryptic narrative, showing the band’s influence from lyric-driven groups like Death Cab for Cutie. Soon, “Angela” evolves to bring back the band’s ambient pop sound, which appeared prominently on their November LP Daze. Like the character Angela, The Cordial Sins are unpredictable, incorporating an array of different instruments, styles, and sounds into their songs.
