New York, NY (August 9, 2023) – Experimental singer-songwriter Ora Cogan will release her new album Formless on Aug 25, an LP that finds beauty, absurdity, humor, and unlikely joy in the bleakest of times. Cogan’s smoky, psychedelic approach to gothic country and hazy folk merges with post-punk, groove, psych rock, and traditional balladry.
Today, Cogan releases “Katie Cruel,” a tragic ballad about a sex worker traveling with light infantry soldiers. ‘Once they called me the roving jewel, now they call me Katie Cruel.’ The haunting track is a defiant, vindicating, feminist proclamation that flips the script on the way women are vilified.
Ethereal vocals and a shuffling brush snare lay over a sitar-like guitar pattern to underscore the strength of the lyrical message. “You can demean a woman and call her ‘Katie Cruel’,” said Cogan. “So what… Fucked if I care!”
VIEW / SHARE “KATIE CRUEL” AT YOUTUBE +
Formless, finds beauty, absurdity, humor, and unlikely joy in the bleakest of times. Cogan’s smoky, psychedelic approach to gothic country and hazy folk merges with post-punk, groove, psych rock, and traditional balladry. “Katie Cruel” follows the VHS/Super 8 video for the first single “Cowgirl” and the haunting “Dyed.”
Recorded in mostly off-the-floor takes with rhythm section David Proctor and Finn Smith on analog tape at Vancouver Island’s Risque Disque studio and co-produced by Cogan and Loving’s David Parry, the album features international guest stars including Cormac Mac Diarmada from LANKUM, who plays strings on “Feel Life,” and a duet with Y La Bamba on “Ways of Losing.”
Raised by a photographer and a singer-songwriter on the islands of Canada’s Pacific coast, where she once again resides, Cogan shaped her approach to music far from big-city scenes. Her childhood home played host to a constant stream of artists as it served as a professional recording studio. Cogan absorbed a myriad of influences from Édith Piaf, Ladino and Rumbetico to Karen Dalton, and American country blues, all feeding into her glacial and cinematic yet tinglingly intimate sound.
Formless took form in the abyss of grief and pandemic isolation. “I spent a lot of time wandering aimlessly in the woods with my dog,” said Cogan. The result is an outpouring of ruminations on awkward love, pain, internal struggles, and a fight to find ways to feel good when everything goes bad.
Cogan and her close-knit band have added more album release shows in support of Formless. A full list of tour dates can be found below with more to be added.
Ora Cogan Tour Dates
Oct 25 — Vancouver, BC — The Wise Hall
Oct 26 — Victoria, BC — The Layaway
Oct 27 — Nanaimo, BC — The Vault
Nov 26 — Olympia, WA — The Crypt
Nov 27 — Portland, OR — Old Church
Nov 28 — Seattle, WA — Tractor Tavern
Dec 01 — Arcata, CA — The Miniplex
Dec 02 — Nevada City, CA — Stardust Station
Dec 03 — Sacramento, CA — Golden Bear
Dec 06 — Los Angeles, CA — Zebulon
Formless Track List
01 – High Noon
02 – Holy Hells
03 – Feel Life
04 – Cowgirl
05 – Katie Cruel
06 – Ways of Losing
07 – Dyed
08 – Drifting
09 – Is Anything Wrong