Cold Chocolate Release Their Genre-Bending Album, 'Down The Line'
Above: (L to R) Cold Chocolate’s Ariel Bernstein and Ethan Robbins
COLD CHOCOLATE
--THE GENRE-BENDING AMERICANA BAND--
RELEASE NEW ALBUM
‘DOWN THE LINE’
TODAY, JUNE 26
NASHVILLE, TN (June 26, 2020) — Boston-based group Cold Chocolate—the genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own—have released Down The Line, their third full-length album today. Led by Ethan Robbins (vocals/guitar) and Ariel Bernstein (percussion), the music is punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful playing.
Listen to Down The Line here.
“I hope people have as much fun with it as we had making it and that they will want to continue with us as we continue to grow as a band,” says Bernstein about the eight-song Down The Line. Adds Robbins, “We're trying to play the music we like and tell our story at the same time.”
The album arrives on the heels of the album’s third single, “Gone,” which contains an uptempo ‘50s rock ‘n roll vibe grounded by an acoustic bass thumping along. The group partnered up with The Bluegrass Situation earlier this month to premiere the song. The band found additional praise from Glide Magazine which raved about the album’s title track and lead single saying, “the song is a feel-good meditation…Blending Americana, jammy West Coast rock and roll and even the loose, flowing spirit of jazz, the song captures the band’s talent for writing poignant and catchy songs while bottling up their creative live energy in a studio recording.” Melissa Clarke at Americana Highways expressed that, “Aloft a roadhouse funk setup, Cold Chocolate addresses some of life’s more profound truths.”
Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. Robbins began his bluegrass career at Oberlin College, where he started to explore how this hard-driving fast-paced genre could be stretched. A classical violinist from age four, he fell in love with the guitar when he turned fourteen. In 2012, Robbins met percussionist Bernstein at a mutual friend's gig in Boston. Like Robbins, Bernstein also studied classical percussion in college before moving to the drum set. A master of restraint, the loose-wristed Bernstein brings a light and tasteful groove to Cold Chocolate’s tunes, filling out their sound and heightening the band’s live energy.
Down The Line Tracklisting:
“Follow Far Behind”
“Before The Sun”
“Down The Line”
“Well-Intintioned Man”
“The Last Time”
“Where I Go”
“Sing Me Back”
“Gone”
Above: ‘Down The Line’ album art