Oakland quintet SMSHNG HRTS are pioneering a new sound they’ve dubbed “So Cosmic.”
The group — comprised of 17-year-old Martin on drums, 18-year-old Cole on guitar, 20-year-old Ali-Khan as DJ, 17-year-old Jaden on bass and Jaden’s older brother, 19-year-old Dylan as lead singer, guitarist and pianist — are classically trained, forming several bands in high school while using their jam sessions to craft their groovy yet electronic tunes.
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“We call our sound So Cosmic because it’s hard to describe the sound,” Dylan tells Billboard. “It’s such a visual [term] that to us, it just means futuristic and genre-blending. It’s something new and innovative.”
Dylan cites acts like Sly & The Family Stone and Daft Punk as the group’s influences but says the band’s upbeat personality shines through on every track. Take “Boomerang,” an astronomically funky jam that requires instant finger snaps.
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Dylan explains of the song’s essence, “In the studio, we had a ’90s beats video playing but the main vibe is just summertime and fun.”
Get more familiar with SMSHNG HRTS in their performance of “Boomerang” below and listen to their recently released So Cosmic EP here.