4 stars out of 5
Sample or purchase on Bandcamp here
Buy the 7″ + Cozz Coffee package here
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On the surface, it looks like beloved young scuzz-rocker John Cozz has it all: He runs his own boutique Cozz Coffee roasting company; he co-runs the upstart Pizza Bagel Records label; he’s in a loving relationship with one of north Jersey’s most in-demand hair stylists, the saucy Sam Bolognese; and John still somehow finds time to fall off his skateboard. But like any true blue Jersey guy, there’s still plenty of agita in Cozz-akhstan. And John Cozz and the Rippers let it all hang out on the terrific new EP Relish on the Good Times, upping his quotient of both melody and (gasp!) maturity.
Oh, don’t worry, Cozz hasn’t transformed into a mopey singer-songwriter. This is is still a drunken punk rock party, well represented by the hilarious Rutt’s-ian cover art (by Sam Cardelfe) and the hot-dog pun title (which IMHO should’ve just been Relish the Good Times but hey, nobody asked me). But there’s more structure and concision than before to John’s songs, powerfully played by his loyal band the Rippers (the kid likes hot dogs, ok?): Max Rauch (of LKFFCT) on lead guitar, Nick Nucci on bass, and Kevin Donnelly (also of LKFFCT) on drums.
Lead track “Step In, Yer In” chronicles suburban splendor being rudely interrupted by dog urine, annoying neighbors, and an unresponsive landlord. Musically, it’s highlighted by a bright power-pop chorus and an insidious earworm main riff by Rauch which is sort of a modified “Peter Gunn Theme.”
Our narrator simply cannot catch a break. In “Take a Walk Duuuude” he’s hassled in the men’s room and then kicked out of the bar for no good reason, all set to fuzzy guitar and a Johnny Cash boom-chicka-boom beat. OK, but here’s that mature stuff I was talking about: He realizes he was having a better time at home with Sam. (Oh wait i get it the narrator is JOHN COZZ.) His head starts spinning, Rauch unleashes a wild solo, and the music veers off into Cozzadelic glory.
The alienation reaches its peak in “Italian Meats,”with the riff from “Step In” flipped on its ear creating a sense of heightening paranoia. Cozz paints a Springsteen-esque scene, a ghost town of QuickChek parking lots and blank teens on Xanax. His vocals sound like he’s losing his shit. He’s gotta get outta this place, if it’s the last thing he ever does. Tramps like Cozz, baby they were born to run.
But not without his woman. The bus-ride finale of “Greyhound” — a hit single in a fair world — is not the existential angst Paul Simon described in “America.” Instead it’s a happy ending for our hero, comfort and peace with his lover. Two against the world, shelter from the storm. Plus an absolute killer chorus! Check out the EP, it’s a real good Cozz.
Jack Silbert, curator