The Cordial Sins speak on ‘Small Talk’ album release party, growth leading to first full length album

Honour Lackey
Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:04:14 +0000
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The Cordial Sins’ “Small Talk” further solidifies its spot in Columbus’ dreamy, indie scene. Credit: Ori Segev

The Cordial Sins’ upcoming album “Small Talk” was recorded, for the most part, in a spare bedroom. Now, it’s debuting at the Music Hall Stage of Natalie’s Grandview.

The release party, which will take place Friday at 945 King Ave., comes 10 years after frontwoman and vocalist Liz Fisher as well as vocalist, guitarist and co-writer Corey Dickerson first began working together, Fisher said. Other band members include drummer Cable Oldfield and bassist Derek White, who the pair met over their years performing in Columbus. Dickerson and Fisher said they’re ready to share what they’ve been working on since 2020.

“It’s going to be a huge relief, because we’ve been working on this record for three years. It’s just gonna be a party,” Dickerson said.

Although he’s played guitar since he was 13 years old, Dickerson said his love for music began growing up in New York playing piano. After relocating to Ohio in 2004, he picked up the guitar and started strumming.

Fisher said while she and Dickerson attended the same high school in Delaware, Ohio, they didn’t meet until she was an orchestral performance major at Ohio State specializing in classical violin.

“We met a long time ago, we were 20 and started doing band stuff then,” Fisher said. “It took us probably six or seven years to find our footing and release music that I think is more indicative to how we sound now.”

Their sound could be described as “The Cranberries meets Alvvays,” Fisher said — a meld of grunge, indie and shoegaze characterizes the band’s dreamy sound. Early iterations of this sonic identity are found on “Only Human,” its 2017 EP. Not yet wanting to put together an album, the pair said the EP was an exploration of what they wanted The Cordial Sins to be.

Fisher said the EP was released when they started improving as musicians, acting as a collection of songs that represented them. Dickerson agreed that the EP was, like Fisher said, a development of their “rock-forward” sound.

“We recorded that record in two lengthy sessions at Relay Recording down by Columbus State, and I think we were just kind of throwing it together, you know?” Dickerson said.

While inspired by songwriters like Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell or Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Fisher said she also looked to her own life as inspiration for their 2019 EP “In Memory” and upcoming album “Small Talk.”

“Now, I think when we were writing stuff for that EP, my focus was more outward, I guess, in terms of drawing inspiration from other bands,” Fisher said. “When we started doing ‘In Memory,’ and then the new album, ‘Small Talk’ that we’re coming out with, that was when I think I focused more on like internal inspiration, my own experiences, rather than thinking about the world outside of my experience.”

The Cordials Sins embody this personal expression on “Small Talk,” the pair said, with singles “Sugarcoat” and “Dog Days,” giving a peek at the band’s lyrical depth and candor. The freedom from studio expenses and the isolated nature of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed them to create the album they envisioned with minimal creative boundaries, Dickerson said.

“We were fortunate enough to receive a grant from GCAC for some recording equipment. I would say 85 percent of the record was recorded in our spare bedroom at the time, just spending hours and hours and hours upon hours writing,” Dickerson said. “Because we didn’t have to pay for studio time, we can just sit upstairs and just try different ideas over and over again. That was really cool.”

Along with performing “Small Talk” for the first time, the band looks forward to watching their openers, Columbus’ Super Sport and Chicago’s North by North, Fisher said. She’s excited to pay forward the collaborative energy she’s experienced in the Columbus scene, Fisher said.

“When we started, I feel like that was when — and maybe it’s how it is now — we were introduced to a lot of people that were around our age who were also just starting to play in bands. It was just very communal, and we would all just kind of throw together shows regardless of genre differences,” Fisher said. “Now the people who are our age, who have been kind of doing this for a decade, I think are better at picking up young bands that they’re like, ‘Hey, I think you’re good,’ and adding them to bills.”

Doors open for The Cordial Sins “Small Talk” album release show at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall Stage. Tickets range from $15-20 depending on seating.