CO LA

After the experimental rock outfit Ecstatic Sunshine from Baltimore disbanded, Matthew Papich shifted his focus from guitar playing to working with samples and Ableton Live, issuing his ethereal, loop-driven compositions under the Co La moniker. As an alumnus of the Maryland Institute College of Art who also serves as an art handler, Papich put out multiple cassettes during 2011 such as Rest in Paradise, Dial Tone Earth, and Fugitive of Leisure; these names suggest the music's subversive wit and entrancing richness. His initial full-length release, Daydream Repeater, came out that same year on NNA Tapes, drawing upon girl group pop, reggae, and exotica among its influences. Papich incorporated jazz and lounge elements into the 2012 EP Soft Power Memento, crafting pieces that felt both more conceptual and more direct compared to earlier efforts. In the subsequent year, Co La issued a split single alongside Jason Urick as well as the album Moody Coup, marking his first outing on Software Records. Hegemony of Delete, a mini-album consisting of six tracks and shaped by the cycles of labor and downtime, came forth in 2014 through Primary Information. The PAN label put out 1 in April 2015, representing the first album from Papich's partnership with Max D of Beautiful Swimmers; later that October, No No by Co La emerged, taking cues from the rapid tempo of nonstop news coverage and Baltimore club music.