Josh Ostrander cannot be pinned down. His last album as Mondo Cozmo, 2017’s Plastic Soul, propelled him to international acclaim with tours alongside Bastille and Spoon and appearances at nearly every festival under the sun. It was a damn fine record with massive Britpop-esque singalongs like “Shine” and the infectious rhythms of “Higher”, but Mondo’s latest track from his unannounced second album somehow blends everything we’ve heard from him thus far into something really incredible.
“Upside Down”, produced by the legendary Butch Vig and filled out by former tourmates Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, feels like a kitchen-sink song. With samples that wouldn’t sound out of place in an Avalanches song, horns that make you feel like you’re cruising in New Orleans, and the anthemic guitars that were present on Mondo’s last album, this song is something to behold. Ostrander describes it as his “attempt at a feel-good summer song in an imploding world,” and I think he absolutely nails it.
Watch the Travis Shinn-directed video below, and stream the track on Spotify here.
