Cosette's Futuristic 'Gameboy' Is a Powerful Debut Full of Risks and Rewards

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Following over a year of sporadic singles, Nashville-based pop artist Cosette returns with her debut EP Gameboy. Synthesizing elements of multiple genres into her own signature style, Cosette delivers fans 6 tracks of futuristic pop cuts on her newest project. Taking inspiration from artists like The Japanese House to Kehlani, Gameboy plays with pop, electronic, R&B, alternative, and even hip-hop musical styles to create something brand new. As if that wasn't enough, the entire EP was self-produced by Cosette herself - making Gameboy a truly powerful debut into the pop realm. With unstoppable momentum, Cosette is without a doubt an artist to keep an eye on this year.

Though debut projects from pop artists tend to lean towards a more palatable and anodyne register, Cosette's Gameboy is anything but. With a creative vision harnessed through ten thousand hours of training, and a killer musical taste to boot, Cosette holds nothing back on her new collection of tracks. Gameboy's opener, "See," is a hazy R&B-inspired song decorated with reverb-heavy vocal harmonies and a steady electro-pop soundfont. The chord progression is off-kilter, serving as an eclectic foundation on which Cosette provides listeners with her seasoned dulcet tones. The pensive originality of "See" acts as a harbinger of what's to come, with Cosette's six tracks reflecting an affinity for writing and singing that is both piercing and enviable.

One of Gameboy's two singles, "First," operates similarly to "See" in that Cosette manages to control an unwieldy and distinctive musical style through her risk-taking in both the vocal and production realm. "First" evokes comparisons to the production on records like FKA twigs' genre-defining LP1 - where the track’s mechanical percussion resembles some sort of menacing robotic monster who has been inexplicably tamed by Cosette alone. Refusing to play it safe, Cosette also fills Gameboy with tracks like "Again" - a futuristic electro-pop anthem that somehow holds both the soft and serene ethereality of R&B heavyweights with the menacing and abrasive electronic vibe of once-obscure pioneers like Arca and Eartheater. Though it is easy to get lost in the bells and whistles of Cosette's incredible skill in singing and production, there is an ocean of emotional depth embedded into her writing. "Weird" sees Cosette in a rare moment of vulnerability with lines like "The thought of you disappeared / So it's weird to see you here." Her thoughtfulness even sees a sort of mutualistic amplification when other tracks start to incorporate themes of self-doubt and romantic tension.

Though under 20 minutes in length, Cosette's debut EP Gameboy is an incredible journey through iconoclastic production and earnest writing. Every uncommon melodic movement and production choice is a risk that pays off for the young artist, as Cosette is easily one of the most promising upcoming talents in the pop music scene. With cuts that are perfect for both your midnight drive and your day at the beach - Gameboy is not a project to be missed.

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