Matt Maust is the Bassist for Cold War Kids and a great designer as well. Their album Robbers & Cowards has really been a sleeper hit for me. I first became aware of them a while back but sort of thought Hospital Beds was cool and left it at that. But lately I’ve been working to the record and really enjoying it as a whole.
Today I checked on their site to see what they were all about and was greeted by the lovely image you see above. Once inside it just gets better. I’m always a sucker for the big-gothic-type-on-photographs motif, and here it’s done very well. Even with the most talented designers, a lot of the time you can see through to the fact that the artwork for a band was project / money driven. In the case of an outfit like Cold War Kids, I think the (literally) DIY design ethic shines through to great effect. But at the end of the day, it’s not how you look as a band, it’s how you sound.
Cold War Kids – Hang Me Out To Dry
[audio:dry.mp3]
I had the pleasure of becoming a fan of Matt’s work before I was a fan of the music. Really breathtaking stuff (the music and his work!).
Great band. Horrible live. We share a lot of common musical interest.
About their live shows… I think maybe they just don’t know how to work a big crowd yet. I had the pleasure of seeing CWK in a very small, very packed bar early last year and they were absolutely amazing. Lot’s of energy on stage and in the crowd. I’ve seen them at a few festivals since, and they still sounded great, just not quite the same energy.
They’re young, ambitious, and crazy talented. Thanks for the post.