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Jun 11, 2024 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Koury Angelo

Mondo Cozmo is the solo moniker of indie singer/songwriter Josh Ostrander. After beginning his career in the 2000s with Laguardia and indie rock trio Eastern Conference Champions, Ostrander debuted as Mondo Cozmo with his 2017 album, Plastic Soul. Since then he has released his 2020 sophomore album, New Medicine, and followed with his 2022 record, This is for the Barbarians.

However, along the way Cozmo found himself waylaid with a series of career and creative roadblocks. Inspired by an opening stint with Spoon, he began pursuing a similar mid-career reinvention. He parted ways with his longtime manager and began recording with Mark Rankin (Queens of the Stone Age, Iggy Pop, Weezer, Florence and the Machine) for his new forthcoming album, It’s PRINCIPLE! The record grew out of a prolific creative period, during which Cozmo wrote over 70 new songs, hitting on a tone that feels equally sincere and triumphant.

Cozmo says of the record, “I guess I made this record for myself. I mean I didn’t play any demos for anyone who absolutely didn’t need to be involved. And I actually don’t care if anyone likes it. I mean it’s glorious when they do but I think as a defense mechanism I believe I have created this wall to guard the creative spirit. Maybe that’s what Rick Rubin was actually talking about when he said ‘make music for yourself.’”

Cozmo has already shared the album’s lead single, “Angels,” and today he’s accompanying the news of the album with another new track, “Wild Horses,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Wild Horses” isn’t a cover of The Rolling Stones’ track, but Cozmo’s classic rock influences run throughout the track, whether in the swaggering rhythms, yelped vocal ad-libs, or the bluesy guitar lines. Where “Angels” was soaring and melodic, “Wild Horses” is lean and aggressive, stomping onward with muscular percussion and a fuzzed-out guitar solo. On its surface, the track is all confidence and bravado, however, that jagged edge falls away in the track’s final moments, revealing an aching undertone to the song as it fades into a longing piano ballad.

Cozmo says of the track, “I really think music videos are dumb. I don’t get ‘em and I’ve never been good at them. I told Andrew van Baal (director) “I’ll do anything you ask me to do.” This has been the motto for the whole album. Let’s step outside our comfort zone. Let’s hire the right person and let them cook. Let’s take a risk. I love the way the video turned out and I look forward to being a meme in my family’s group text.”

Check out the song and video below. It’s PRINCIPLE! is out everywhere on August 30th via Last Gang Records.

Tracklist

01 It’s PRINCIPLE!

02 Angels

03 Here I Am

04 Wild Horses

05 Killing Floor

06 Sundown In The Age Of Fear

07 July 4

08 New Salvation

09 Leave A Light On

10 I’ll Be Around