Ed Cosens shares new single ‘Little Boy’, the “most personal” song on his forthcoming album ‘Somewhere Between Dark and Light’, and announces performances at The Great Escape Festival on 15th May and Deer Shed Festival on …. 

The gently string-laced acoustic meditation of ‘Little Boy’ talks of the titular character “sitting in the corner, doesn’t know what he wants to be... the little boy is me.” It was partly inspired by the feelings of insecurity and self-doubt Cosens says have always plagued him. “It’s like, ‘What is my place in all of this?’ I felt that sometimes being in Reverend and the Makers with characters like Jon, so loud and effervescent, I’d struggle to be heard. I’m the exact opposite, really, I’m very quiet, happy to sit at the back of the room.”

That might just be changing though, as Cosens explains that one of the reasons he’s felt the urge to strike out on his own is to make his mark under his own steam. “I’m really proud of what I achieved in the Makers,” he says, “but I suppose now I’d like my story to be told and heard.”

The album Somewhere Between Dark And Light offers an immediate variety of classic songwriting, delving into personal territory for inspiration. “‘In the light’ is probably the most representative track of the dark and light idea,” says Cosens. “‘When I’m Done Running’ and ‘I’m On Your Side’ “represent the lightest moments - those moments where I feel most positive and comforted by those around me.” 

The new album addresses issues that have felt all too close to home in recent years. The pandemic led many of us to face up to the fragility of existence amid so many people succumbing to a disease with no cure, and Cosens, now a father to two boys, addresses what family means to him in the heart-on-sleeve piano ballad “Tiny Boxes”, which he pinpoints as one of his favourites on the record. “ It’s a love song to my family,” he says. Earlier this year Cosens released Doghouse, a song for anyone who has ever found themselves relegated to the couch. His last single Suckerpunch addresses situations that feel completely out of your control.

Talking about the personal nature of these songs, Cosens explains, “These things stay with you sometimes and whilst at the time they may be difficult, at least they provide a rich seam of ideas and lyrics that can be mined at a later date!” Last October’s stand alone single Black Dog was released on World Mental Health Day. “It’s about waking up and feeling in that dark place where you feel unable to function,” Cosens says. “I hope these songs help start a conversation and spread mental health awareness further.” 

Ed will be playing the following UK dates in May, with a string of summer festivals to be announced soon. Head to www.edcosens.com for more details. 

TRACKLISTING

1. Somewhere Between Dark and Light 

2. When I’m Done Running

3. Stay With Me

4. In The Light 

5. Doghouse

6. Suckerpunch 

7. Tiny Boxes

8. Starts All Over

9. Fountains Of Youth

10. Little Boy

11. Here Comes The Rain 

12. I’m On Your Side 

LIVE DATES

Wed 8th May - Jacaranda, Liverpool

Fri 10th May - The Castle, Manchester

Thurs 16th May - The Slaughtered Lamb, London

Fri 17th May - Albion Rooms, Margate

Thurs 23rd May - Oporto, Leeds

Fri 24th May - Leadmill, Sheffield 

Thurs 30th May - Mosaic Tap, Newcastle

Fri 31st May - The Chapel, Nottingham

About Ed Cosens

Ed Cosens is the long-time co-songwriter and chief lieutenant to Jon McClure in Reverend & The Makers, and former bandmate of Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner and Matt Helders. Now he has found his own voice as a singer of his own beautifully crafted, emotionally resonant songs that tap into the human condition with the skill of a seasoned balladeer.

Reverend & The Makers’ debut single, Heavyweight Champion Of The World, co-written by Cosens like much of the Makers’ material, went Top 10 in the UK and won the band a gold disc, and its accompanying debut album, The State Of Things, reached No. 5 in the album charts. Over the years that followed Reverend and the Makers ploughed a less conventional musical furrow that would veer ambitiously (and inimitably) across a broad musical landscape into more electronically influenced sounds, folk-rock territory and more recently, before this year’s Heatwave In The Cold North, a distinctly R&B and soul-flavoured sound, that earned the band their second top 10 UK album. 

That seventh studio set was their first since 2017 and during their hiatus, Cosens saw long-harboured ambitions to launch a solo career finally bear fruit.

Cosens’ debut album, Fortune’s Favour, was released in 2021. Although delayed by the Covid pandemic, and not promoted as widely as intended due to lockdown restrictions, it gained good reviews in outlets such as Uncut (“redolent of a more innocent era of pop composition”) and guitar.com (“a captivating success”).

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