Ora Cogan’s smoky, psychedelic approach to gothic country merges with post-punk, psych-rock and traditional balladry. She is known for her singular voice and cinematic compositions and has collaborated with a multitude of artists while touring extensively throughout Europe & North America, sharing the stage with the likes of Grouper & Mazzy Star.
Her new album, Formless, came out to critical acclaim in 2023. Formless finds beauty, absurdity, humour, and unlikely joy in the bleakest of times. Cogan’s smoky, psychedelic approach to gothic country and hazy folk merges with post-punk, groove, psych rock, and traditional balladry. With a singular voice as much sensation as sound, Ora Cogan seeks out new realities within the smoke-and-mirrors labyrinth of our cruel society.
“Writing this album was a very much a lifeline… transformative and healing,” Cogan recalled. “Re-calibrating an internal compass constantly thrown off by the magnetism of a deranged world.”
Recorded in mostly off-the-floor takes with rhythm section David Proctor and Finn Smith on analog tape at Vancouver Island’s Risque Disque studio and co-produced by Cogan and Loving’s David Parry, Formless features international guest stars including Cormac Mac Diarmada from LANKUM, who plays strings on “Feel Life,” and a duet with Y La Bamba on “Ways of Losing.”
Raised by a photojournalist and a musician on the islands of Canada’s Pacific coast, Cogan shaped her approach to music far from big-city scenes. Her childhood home played host to a constant stream of artists as it served as a professional recording studio. Cogan absorbed a myriad of influences growing up, from Ladino and Rumbetico to American country blues and outsider art all feeding into her glacial and cinematic yet tinglingly intimate sound.
