Kooskoos - Connie (single)
Leave a generous helping of pop music to simmer for eight decades and stir through with a crooner harmony, serve with a cold pint of your choice. Since 2018, the band has been about providing soulful tunes to the Belfast public. Comprising of a two-piece – Topher Joe and his guitarist Jordie Sunshine (Dandelion Tea). The band has featured regularly in venues such as The Dirty Onion, and also helps charities such as MACS Supporting Children & Young People. Now, Topher is letting his creative side shine. KOOSKOOS is about celebrating the love of pop music from the past and reflecting the subjects we miss, so don’t be surprised if you hear 50’s rat-pack harmonies and modern melodica lines seasoning a unique vocal tone.
The new single Connie is the band's first taste of the big-band genre sound coming back to modern audiences. Lyrically, it's about reflecting on past feelings of Topher's golden retriever, Connie, who died in 2016. Everybody who ever had a pet knows that losing them is like losing a family member. And it doesn't really matter if they have two legs, four paws or else.
Connie presents a great combination of a huge full-band sound with deeply personal and emotionally charged lyrics. This may seem odd to some but it works and it's the arrangement that considerably brightens and lifts the overall vibe.
In contrast to the upbeat melody and full sound, the overwhelming sense of sadness and loss in the lyrics hits the listener right away. At the same time, there's love pouring out from the lines, celebrating the life of a companion and the memories created together. This strikes a chord with us in a way the people in Mexico celebrate their dearly departed. By celebrating their life, being joyful about the opportunity of being able to spend time with them. Of course there comes a time when you get sad and tears roll down but all this is called life and being human. When you love somebody, they're never truly gone.