The Key Studio Sessions: Cousin Brian

And here we are, once again. Last week in August. Symbolic end of summer and all that. Time to stay out late, crank the speakers, skip town, get crazy, whatever floats your boat. If there’s a band in Philly that embodies reckless abandon right now, it’s Cousin Brian. Their self-titled record (which got a vinyl release on Mallrat Records, the label started by Slutever’s Nicole Snyder) is an aggravated sugar rush, an adrenaline high of skittish pop rhythms and aggressive hardcore grit. The bass is cranked and buzzing, singer Sean Caruthers voice sears and hollers, and the four-piece tears across its 11 songs in just about 25 minutes. It’s not the most accessible album, but if you’re along for the ride, it’s so freaking good. Likewise, they’re not the most accessible live act. Might even call them a bit confrontational. At PhilaMOCA back in May, they taunted the crowd in true punk rock fashion for not standing closer to the stage (“We played to a bunch of 30-year-old metal dudes in the northeast last week and they were more excited than you!”). When this had no effect, Caruthers dove offstage and sang right in the middle of the fray. Evidently, he’s fond of doing this. And don’t even get me started on the between-song banter when they recorded their Key Studio Session back in June. (Hint: it involves awkward jokes and mouth noises. Listen to the XPN2 Philly Local Show tomorrow if you’re curious.) Point being – these guys are insane, they live in the moment and shrug off the consequences, and their infectious songs are all the awesomer for it. Dig into the session below if you dare, enjoy your last hurrah of summer, and make plans to catch Cousin Brian at the North Star Bar on Oct. 13.