The Highland Park quartet called Cold Forty Three offers up an appealing debut effort entitled “From the Garage to Your Speakers,” a peppy power-pop package that taps several veins of contemporary attitude and angst. Primary songwriter Moses Cruz has a lot to say about good times and bad times in life and love – along with the highs and lows of the night-life! The singer-guitarist opens his heart with a plaintive voice that ranges from a steady tenor to the reedy upper reaches, backed by well-structured vocal support from his bassist brother Joshua, and guitarist Alex Sayes. The songs are solidly anchored by the tight stick-work of drummer Rene Haro, who beats the skins with potent assurance. Shredding leads and extended jams aren't key features of Cold Forty Three's songs, but chipper chunks of radio-ready rock are found throughout this release. Interested listeners might want to get “From the Garage to Your Speakers” soon, in its present state, as a companion to the re-mastered form that Moses says is scheduled to emerge in the not-too-distant future.
The opening track, “Sorry Sacred Heart,” is one of several commentaries on relationships, illustrating that things don't always work out with a happy ending. The songs maintains a brisk, punkish pace, like most of the CD's cuts – and, despite the band's garage-based roots, the overall production is crisp and clean throughout, with each musical element complementing the others. “Lost Friend” is another song of sad conclusions, one of several in which Moses isn't shy of laying it on the line, frank and uncensored. “Death Do Me Part” deals with the subject of matrimony, from a perspective that's simultaneously hangdog and humorous. (Sample lyrics: “The booze, the sex... Wedding bells and honeymoon, and I know that I am doomed!)
The band lists Blink 182 and Sum 41 as influences, and these prime inspirations are evident, along with a taste of Green Day, as found in a ballad-like song such as “Apartment 2306,” one of a couple that capably feature acoustic guitars, along with keyboards also, played by Moses. But the quartet's strengths are best found in a ditty such as “Party Night Anthem,” a blueprint bit of So-Cal pop-punk which expresses a frisky, feel-good vibe that doesn't tout full-on rebellion and system-fighting like the songs of punk pioneers from years gone by, but instead is like a snapshot of an evening out with friends that could take place in any one of a thousand towns and neighborhoods, yesterday, today, or tomorrow. The song ends with a sentiment that holds out a handful of hope for both singer and listener: “Here's to you, friend – these are the best nights of our lives.” That's the spirit, spunkily poured out by Cold Forty Three – “From the Garage to Your Speakers.”
