Bucks County native Mondo Cozmo, aka songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Josh Ostrander, has announced his fourth studio album, It’s PRINCIPLE! The announcement was accompanied by the second single from the upcoming album, “Wild Horses.”
The new song, his first since 2022’s This Is For The Barbarians, draws you in with its bold, galloping beat, and exudes power in the first half – it has all the makings of a classic rock song. However, the song takes a turn, and its bravado crumbles to reveal a softer inside. The last minute-or-so turns into a piano ballad, giving way to Cozmo’s raw vocals, expressing the range of emotions he was dealing with during the writing process as his dog (and namesake) Cozmo was nearing the end of his life. Much of the album’s lyrics circle the emotions that Cozmo was feeling during this time.
Although Mondo Cozmo is not typically a fan of music videos, he decided to take a leap of faith with this one, “‘I’ll do anything you ask me to do.’ This has been the motto for the whole album. Let’s step outside our comfort zone. Let’s hire the right person and let them cook. Let’s take a risk.” The risk paid off, as the music video is an artfully crafted addition to the track. The video shows Mondo Cozmo as a survivalist in the woods, juxtaposed with shots of galloping wild horses and lightning storms, and as the song winds down, we realize that these images were only the daydreams of an office worker. Shot in the Californian wilderness, it balances the upbeat surface of the song with its delicate undertones.
“I guess I made this record for myself. I mean I didn’t play any demos for anyone who absolutely didn’t need to be involved. And I actually don’t care if anyone likes it. I mean it’s glorious when they do but I think as a defense mechanism I believe I have created this wall to guard the creative spirit,” shared the songwriter of the upcoming album in a recent statement.
It’s PRINCIPLE! will be released via Last Gang Records on August 30. In addition, Mondo Cozmo will be playing at Philly Music Fest this October, find more information at WXPN’s concert calendar.
