Last week, Huey, the Cosmonaut released Live From Germantown, a sweet, atmospheric EP that flows like a party, celebrating new and old songs we’ve heard at their shows this year.
The live crew features West Philly-via-Midwest frontman Huey in a knot of local friends – drummer Coby Haynes, keyboardist Caleb Conner, bassist Manny Roach, guitarists Jules Siler and ZekeUltra (who released his own album in June). Huey and Zeke also collaborated in events with Bad Apple Commune, and several of these folks feature on Huey’s albums Rust Belt Radio (2021) and spring garden moonbase (2021).
Last year, the friends won free studio time at Germantown’s Sound Child Studio through an online contest, and the studio happened to be run by Will Brown (Charley Coin) who Huey knows as “an old homie [from] the Temple basement show days back when I was in a college band.” Instead of recording a new song, Huey decided to spend the session capturing a live performance to celebrate his band, who now have settled in as regulars in Philadelphia’s DIY rock, hip hop and pop scenes.
LFG documents five live cuts by the genre-free and groove-heavy group, rooted in cool rhythm guitars and tight, loving beats by Coby. On the mic, Huey breaks down young feelings, growing old, intimacy and need, building a healthy balance between longing (“I just hate goodbyes / last summer was like heaven”) and contentment (“Old Skool Vans, man, that’s my footwear,” “three-piece chicken, that’s a combo”) that feels like a hug in a thick sweater. I love hearing him hype up the band after “Gigabyte” and assure them before “Jumbled Up” that “this is gonna go CRAZY.” “Gigabyte,” “Water Ice With Lemon” and “Healing Potion” already have studio versions out online, while the two last tracks “Jumbled Up” and “Figure You Out,” with folk-rock style organ and guitars, are unreleased but sit snug in their live sets. “The release has made me more excited for future shows and the next studio project I’ve been working on,” says Huey.
See a new music video below capturing Huey, the Cosmonaut’s performance of “Gigabyte” at Sound Child Studio for LFG. Next month, the group plays Philly Music Fest on October 14th at Underground Arts with Algernon Cadwallader, Knifeplay and Church Girls. Read Paige Walter’s 2022 interview with Huey about his album Rustbelt Radio here, and read Alex Smith’s 2021 profile on Bad Apple Commune here. Stay tuned for Huey, the Cosmonaut’s Key Studio Session coming this autumn.
