One of the highest aspirations is to reach for the transcendental, to access the spirit, but in a postmodern world where the very idea of “transcendental” has been shattered, where does one look to find it? This is the apropos question asked by genre-bending, Nashville-based outfit Los Colognes on their latest record, “The New World.”  

Los Colognes has made a name for itself over the last decade by making literate, jam-friendly '70s/’80s style rock steeped in the tradition of classic acts while constantly seeking a modern twist on their own new identity. Formed in 2012, Los Colognes came together after Chicago cohorts singer/guitarist Jay Rutherford and drummer Aaron "Mort" Mortenson relocated to Nashville. In the process, they convinced longtime bassist Gordon Persha to follow suit. Together, the trio began crafting twangy, jam-oriented arrangements to Rutherford's insightful, somewhat sardonic songs.

“The New World” started to come together right before the Covid 19 pandemic hit in 2020, and the band continued producing it through the next year. “Anything that could get us out of our mental jail cells and into a creative flow was welcomed. If anything, the record is a time stamp. We chose to create when we had no real idea of what was on the other side, and I’m glad we did,” says drummer and band co-founder Aaron Mortenson. 

“The song ideas started coming as early as 2017, when it became obvious to anyone paying attention that the tectonic plates of what society had come to know as ‘normal’ started shifting.  This album, to me, is like a Rorschach test of a snapshot of an internet comment section,” says guitarist and frontman Jay Rutherford. 

The journey to finish “The New World'' was its own quest for Rutherford, Mortenson and Persha, a more deliberate process of creation that showcases a band traversing Sisyphean stumbling blocks in order to become more fully committed to its own voice and vision. The album combines all the elements of their earlier work with a more polished modern sound, a sound both accessible and nuanced, and lyrics both memetic and oracular.  While the world around seems to grow further and further away from a shared identity, Los Colognes have become more and more certain of theirs.  

“The New World” is out 5/3/2022 on all digital platforms.

Duke Brutus is following