Sunderland indie rockers Cohesion launch new EP with hometown gig

After a hiatus from the live music scene, they release their second studio EP, Pleasures of the Earth, next Thursday.

Made up of Lewis Cooke on guitar, Matthew Watchman on vocals, David Wright on bass, Jonathon Hall on guitar and Alex Baker on drums, the band say they are looking forward to their first major release since 2015.

Lewis, from East Herrington, said: “We’ve locked ourselves away to concentrate on the EP. We’ve done a few gigs here and there, but we wanted to do this right and make it a proper release and push it a bit more.”

The band first formed around five years ago after meeting at college and brought together the skills they’d learnt in various other bands.

The guitarist says the four-track EP shows the band in a new light and showcases a new-found outlook.

“Over the past year and a half, both personally and as a band, we’ve had to work through some tough times to get back to a point where we feel creative and inspired,” he explained.

“Maybe that needed to happen in order for us to move on. I don’t think there is anything worse as a musician than to become stagnant and uninspired – even though those periods come from time to time.”

“Creatively this EP is so exciting,” frontman Matthew Watchman said. “It’s been nice to get back in the studio, writing again as a band and just enjoying music. This EP captures perfectly who we are as individual musicians and as a band at this point in time.”

He added: “We took our time with the crafting of this one, both in the writing and recording processes, and hopefully the wait will be worth it for those who are a fan of the band.”

To mark the release, the band will be embarking on a tour with a launch show at Independent, in Holmeside, Sunderland, on March 23 and another North East date at Jumpin’ Jacks on April 4.

Lewis says audiences can expect an enthusiastic set from the band who in the past have graced local and national festivals, alongside artists such as The Cribs, British Sea Power, Dizzee Rascal and Maximo Park.

“We have a lot of energy in out sets,” he said. “And we’re really looking forward to being on stage again. We want to keep up with our live shows and online presence and really keep that momentum going.

“We’re hoping to get more and more gigs around the country, while still keeping that name we’ve established in the North East.”

The first single from the EP, Eagle, This Is Columbia, is available now via download and streaming services and an accompanying video is currently on video streaming platforms such as YouTube.

Other tracks featured on the EP are Texaco, Karma Waters and Nerve Language, which were all recorded and produced by long-term friend Anthony Edward Snowdon. The EP’s artwork was created by artist Sophie Frank.

l Tickets to the Independent gig on Thursday, March 23 are available from www.wegottickets.com/event/385474l Tickets for the Newcastle gig are available from www.seetickets.com