Coco: A Hidden Dreamy Gem

I first discovered the dream pop project Coco when they opened for Kevin Morby. I knew immediately that they had the perfect sound. Right when they started playing I turned to my wife and said, “oh damn, I’m digging this.” Coco is a balanced blend of smooth vocal harmonies, subtle 60’s psychedelic inspired instrumentals and chill dreamy soundscapes with a hint of 70’s soul. It’s no surprise that they hooked us and made my wife and I obsessed with their beautifully crafted songs for months afterwards.

Coco is a collaborative music project that started in 2021 between three very talented indie artists, Maia Friedman of Dirty Projectors, Dan Molad of Lucius and Chimney and Oliver Hill of Pavo Pavo and Dustrider. Together they create a rich and deep sound that is drenched in psychedelic notes. Maia uses her skills as a singer in Dirty Projectors to harmonize perfectly with the calm synths and gentle hazy guitars. The group has released one self titled album and several EPs to date.

Coco’s entire library is amazing but I do have a few favorite songs. My top favorite is definitely Empty Beach. It’s a slow, calm song that relies on beautiful vocal harmonies. It brings to mind walking on a vast empty beach in the cold fog. It has a meditative quality and calms the nerves. This song was amazing to see live. The crowd got really quiet and they used blue lights to create a peaceful trippy atmosphere. Another song that I really like is Come Along. This song has a little more of a psychedelic soul sound to it but still has those beautiful harmonies that Coco does so well. It has a more steady beat than some of their other songs and has an amazing chorus that you can’t help but to sing along to. Another great song is Last of the Loving which has a bit more of a pop sound and I could even see this song getting radio play as it is extremely catchy and has a memorable chorus.

Music has that unique ability to connect meaningful memories to songs. Coco will always be a band that is meaningful to my life and I will always remember seeing them live with my wife. They don’t have a lot of music yet but their limited library has made an impact. I can still remember coming home after the concert and listening to them outside in the cold dark air with my wife ranting about how amazing their sound is. I’m excited to see where this band takes us next but in the meantime I will keep listening to them religiously because they are just that good. 

Genres- dream pop, psychedelic pop, psychedelic folk, folk, experimental, art folk, chamber pop

Score: 10/10 the perfect mix of psychedelic pop and dream pop

Favorite songs: Empty Beach, Come Along, One Time Villain, Last of the Loving and all of the rest of their songs as they are all perfectly crafted and executed. 

Written by Adam