Becoming Cole Calico

After producing and performing under the name Bond., alternative pop artist Cole Calico is coming into his own with new songs and a new name.

Alternative pop artist Cole Calico wants to build a makeshift studio in his basement. The 23-year old currently makes music in his bedroom, home to his microphone, studio monitors, and a small collection of eye-catching Pokémon cards. Posters and outdated vinyl line the walls, and his father’s recently-repaired guitar sits in the back. Cole said the nostalgia inspires him, but hopes a designated music space will help him focus. 

In 2017, Cole’s music career began on a much smaller scale, at a high school drama club in Needham, Massachusetts when he peered over his friend’s shoulder and saw him making a beat on his computer.

“It was in GarageBand and it was definitely really bad,” Cole said. “I [thought], ‘Whoa, this is crazy! You can do that?’”

His beat-making friend, musician and producer Dez Forman, said their collaborative friendship started out at the beginning of their artistic journeys. 

“It was much worse than we realized at the beginning, but we both figured it out pretty quickly,” Forman said. “We started hanging out to make music, and then we really became friends and it just clicked.” 

Now, as both a musician and a seasoned producer, Cole’s debut single as Cole Calico, “Bad Excuse” featuring wishlane, explores a new sound. 

With strong guitar melodies and emotional vocals, “Bad Excuse” reflects Cole’s many talents. The song emphasizes narrative as it uses a combination of live and digital instrumentation, reflecting changes in the alt-pop scene from the ethereal sounds of Billie Eilish to the experimental pop of Jean Dawson and PinkPantheress. The high-energy single tells the story of an artist experiencing a creative block, searching for answers to his procrastination. 

“I am always down on myself for taking so long to make music, but I always do,” Cole said. “I'll keep chipping away at songs a lot. I've had songs I've worked on for over a year.” 

The breathy lyrics are confessional as Cole frantically tries to sort out his feelings over the dynamic beat. Cole sings, “You had me running in circles trying to live a lie,” complementing the synths and guitar. 

With their theater days long behind them, Forman said Cole’s newer music features more acoustic instruments and textured sounds. 

The production side of “Bad Excuse” began with a guitar recording from Cole’s friend and musical partner Soutjay.

“This happens with certain songs where it just clicks,” Cole said. “We got the beat down. I slept through the night, and the next day, I had the full chorus ready to go.”

As an artist who sees his songs as much as he hears them, Cole said he had a music video in mind when recording “Bad Excuse.” The video, shot by filmmaker and musician Flowafield and their sibling Tzuriel, features Cole as a detective chasing down wishlane, the robber. Filmed underneath a bed in Los Angeles and in parks in Massachusetts, Cole said many of the lines in the song are tied to his vision for the music video. 

“I love having props and stuff. Physical things that inspire me are huge,” Cole said. “I wanted the music to fit the chase basically. It's pretty upbeat so it matches that energy.”

As an independent musician, Cole tries to be a jack of all trades — editing music videos, creating social media content, and developing color palettes for “Bad Excuse” — to help him execute his artistic vision as Cole Calico.

Cole’s manager Prahlaad Das called Cole one of the most talented people he had ever met after the two became friends in college and started making music together. 

“I've seen him grow from doing more trap beats production stuff, to wanting to be his own artist,” Das said. 

Cole said the release of “Bad Excuse” marks his full transition from his former artist name Bond. which he began using in high school. Beginning solely as a producer alongside Forman, Cole said the name Bond. was never meant to be permanent. 

“I made this beat and my friend rapped on it and wanted to put out the song,” Cole said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I need a producer name,’ and so I came up with Bond. somehow.”

Bond. had a rawer sound as Cole experimented, often putting out music without bigger goals in mind. He planned on revisiting his artist name later, but as he continued making music in college, it never changed. His new name, he said, resonates with him more. 

“I wanted to take a little step back, and focus on what I wanted my artistry to be,” Cole said. “I wanted an artist's name that involved my own name or sounded like a real name.”

Das said he still has a soft spot for Cole’s earlier releases as Bond. when Cole was still figuring out his voice.

“He probably won't show you any of those songs,” Das said. “I remember hearing some of those songs and at the time, I [thought], ‘Damn, this is some of the craziest shit I’ve ever heard.’”

Cole said his background in beat-making has helped him reinvent his style. 

“Previously, I was making more electronic bass music, I guess you'd call it hyperpop,” Cole said. “I fell in love with the sound of live instrumentation as well, and I wanted a fresh start where I could do that under a whole new aesthetic.”

As he was saying goodbye to Bond., Cole released his final project under that name, “Cluttered.” The hyperpop-inspired album explores three years of Bond.’s artistry and life, beginning in fall 2020 during the height of the pandemic. The album features the story of an artist who hallucinates images of Greek gods as he grieves a great loss. 

“Music can be an outlet and it can be many different things,” Cole said. “It doesn't just have to be fun.”

Das said the album was deeply personal, reflecting Cole’s mental state and experiences from that time. 

The 10-track project was also accompanied by a CD and an “unorthodox merch” release featuring 10 unique t-shirts with designs from 10 different visual artists.  

For the music video for his song “Move On,”  the last song on “Cluttered,” Cole collaborated with filmmaker Evan LeGrand to visually and sonically signify the end of Bond. and the birth of Cole Calico. 

“I trusted [Evan] and his vision,” Cole said. “The song was supposed to be literally ‘I'm moving on from Bond..’ The second half was supposed to be a hint of the sound I wanted for Cole Calico and I think I did that pretty well.”

The first half of the song is slow. There are soft strums and birds chirping in the background as Bond.’s electronic eulogy begins. He sings, “I’m done. It’s time to hang it up, we had a good run” as the lyrics cut out, short-circuiting before Cole Calico begins to sing. Immediately, a new tone and melody are established. A more assured Cole sings, “There’s nothing to call you, there’s nothing to say” over mellow beats, harnessing the power and knowledge he gained as Bond. to start fresh as Cole Calico. 

Aside from his frequent collaborators, Cole said he also has a greater music community online where he met wishlane and Soutjay. During the pandemic, Cole began engaging with musicians through Twitch streams, Discord chats, and groups led by musicians he looked up to, such as Aries. 

“You'll just be playing video games in a voice call and then, one thing leads to another and you're making a song with people,” Cole said. 

As Bond., Cole gained more exposure to the hyperpop scene through a Discord from former music video production group Overcast. 

“It's pretty laid back. No pressure, no building up this mythical collaboration,” Cole said. “It's just a couple friends making music online.”

As Cole leans into the alternative pop genre, Das said he is developing a more “specific world” than he has in the past.

“It's much easier to hear a Cole Calico song and understand where it's coming from,” Das said. “It's a chance for him to really declare, ‘Hey, I’m the artist. I want to be in the front and this is how I'm gonna present my music.’”

In the upcoming year, Cole said he hopes to release more songs as well as some bigger projects. This fall, he’s hoping to shoot a music video in Massachusetts. 

“Next year, I want to do some EPs. One solo probably, and then a potential EP with my friend,” Cole said. “I’m trying to be more consistent. I definitely want to make a lot more music.”

Das said he is excited to see Cole refine his sound and “translate it into the live space,” as they brainstorm ways to tell the story of his music on stage. 

Though he has only recently become Cole Calico, Cole said he anticipates expanding his artistry as he continues to put out music and perform. 

“Sounds always change for every artist,” Cole said. “It’s never a concrete thing.” 

You can find Cole Calico on Spotify here and you can follow Cole on Instagram at @colecalico. 

Photos are courtesy of Cole Calico. Image 1: Kyle Stoney. Image 2: Prahlaad Das

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