Montreal’s beloved post-punk outfit Ought is no more.
After nine years creating frenetic post-punk with an earnest heart, the Tim Darcy-fronted band will be remembered for its lasting and legendary impact on the last decade’s iteration of the genre’s re-revival. Between the criminally underrated Room Inside The World, 2015’s Sun Coming Down, and the band’s debut More Than Other Day (which placed in our top 50 records of the 2010s), it’ll be hard for any of Ought’s disbanded members to top this three-record run in whatever it is they decide to flex their creative muscle down the line.
In a statement, they say:
“We are no longer active as a band. When we started Ought in 2012 we had no greater aspirations than to play and write music together, and the fact that we were able to tour the world to such an extent and share so many rooms with so many of you has meant the world to us. We send lots of gratitude and love to all those we met and worked with along the way.
“Going forward, you can check out Cola, a new project featuring Tim D. and Ben. We’ll keep this channel active to share any relevant news from members of the band.
XO”
On the bright side, Darcy and Ought’s bassist Ben Stidworthy have decided to continue to make music together as Cola, alongside U.S. Girls drummer Evan Cartwright. With the announcement of Cola, the newly-formed trio has shared its debut single titled “Blank Curtain, out today via Fire Talk.
Though it is yet another fantastic moment from Darcy and Stidworthy, “Blank Curtain” doesn’t stray far from the sound and style of Ought, especially with the singer’s distinguished drawl at the forefront. However, it’s a track that closer resembles the former’s earlier, more drab and lo-fi material heard on its decade-defining debut. It might take a while for fans of Ought to think of Cola as a new entity, but it’ll be interesting to hear how this new project separates itself from the now-defunct but beloved group that helped push the genre to where it is now.
Speaking on the track and Cola’s eventual formation, Darcy shares, “What started as stripped-down open D songwriting with a CR-78 soon became a full album and new band. We wanted to see how far we could stretch our compositions with just drums, one guitar, one bass, and one voice.
Listen to “Blank Curtain” below or on streaming platforms.
If you’re in New York, you can get an early glimpse of what’s to come from Cola when they play Baby’s All Right on November 16 (tickets).
