MAXWELL MARSHALL — Recently The Bandersnatch hosted Denison’s very own Cozy Sweaters — an emerging student band on campus.

Featuring Sam Rice ‘19 on guitar and vocals, Oscar Maldonado ‘19 on bass and Will Jones ’19 on the drums, Cozy Sweaters played to a full house on the evening of Friday, February 8.

Though this is their first official gig on campus, the members of the band have been jamming together for quite some time. Sam, Oscar and Will met during their first and second years here at Denison and began playing music together, later forming Cozy Sweaters.

Before performing at the Bandersnatch, a hole-in-the-wall cafe at Denison, Cozy Sweaters often found themselves performing for friends and smaller groups. They are also famous among their neighbors in Chamberlin (where they most often practice). And their music is all self-written, primarily by the lead vocalist Sam Rice, who submits his writing to the rest of the band for further review.

“Sad boy music” is how the Cozy Sweaters describe their own work. According to the band’s members, their music best falls under the genre of emo music, such as the band Mom Jeans. In general, they try to emphasize the lyrics: “We’re more in the service of the song, rather than trying to write cool individual parts, per se,” said Oscar.

Despite their inspiration from other such bands, Cozy Sweaters, however, does like to add their own flavor to their output. “The songs we play… (draw) from this pool of emo and sad bands like that… We definitely sort of do our own thing with it”. One of their closing songs, “Sad Boy Sinatra” describes in detail a breakup, juxtaposing fragile and intense sounds throughout.

Throughout their performance at the Bandersnatch, the songs they played were met with positive audience feedback, signaled by loud applause.

Looking forward, Cozy Sweaters hopes to fit in additional gigs before graduation at a variety of locations, including down the hill in Granville. Be on the lookout for concerts at the Sunnies and various spots on campus in the coming spring months. While Sam, Oscar, and Will have various plans for the future, they’re open to continuing Cozy Sweaters if their reception keeps on an upward track. The group now plans to begin recording, with a digital release to come in the (hopefully) near future. We at the Denisonian are eager to listen to them.

For up-to-date info on future performances, recording releases, and other news, follow them on Instagram @cozysweatersband.