Cosette Gobat’s DIY ethos is one to be admired. We sat down with the genre defying artist and got to learn more about her craft.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

I’m a non-binary independent artist originally from Philadelphia. I would say the main idea of my music is the exploration of different genres such as folk, electronica, indie, and classical through the use of poetic but simple lyricism, drowned out guitars, and extensive vocal melodies and harmonies. I have been gigging since the age of 14, with music taking me all over the east coast of the US, as well as the UK. I am a classically trained vocalist and studied as an audio engineer at University, guiding my influences and allowing me to self-produce.

What encouraged you to start making music?

My mother is a classical guitarist. In my very early childhood years I used to watch and listen to her play and quickly picked up the guitar myself. Before I could properly spell or read, she used to help me write songs. I would tell her the lyrics and she would write them down for me. At age 7 my hit song was called, ‘My Life is Hell!’, a song written about my older annoying brother.

Can you tell us more about how you produce your music?

A lot of the times when you’re a self-producing artist (or an engineer for that matter), you often get asked for lists of gear and equipment you use, as well as the studios you work in. For me, thanks to low budget and the pandemic, almost all of my music has been recorded on my laptop in the corner of my bedroom with a simple SM58 microphone. I might not always have easy access to expensive studios and equipment, but if you know what you’re doing you can do a lot with just a little.

What’s your song writing process like?

My song writing process often varies, for I believe I’m first and foremost a poet before anything else. I think these days, my most used process is through improvisation on guitar and vocals where I just hit record and everything kind of all comes out at once. I’ll then go back and finalise structure and themes.

You’re originally from Philadelphia but moved to London. How has the city influenced you as an artist?

London has been one of the biggest driving forces in my musical influence and in my career. It was so easy to get into the scene when I first moved there, playing my first show my very first week. I come from a city where opportunity seemed like  a further reach, where I feel London was able to offer way more for me in a shorter period of time.  

I’ve always been obsessed with British music from a very young age. I grew up listening to new wave and british pop, and found my obsession with shoegaze in my teens. I had specific expectations moving to London, and the city surpassed them all. What I knew or was familiar with prior was just a small idea of the immense musical diversity London has to offer. I definitely picked up on some post-punk / experimental influences being in the scene.

We love your new single ‘Graveyard’. Can you tell us more about the lyrics in this track?

Thank you so much! The feel of Graveyard, for me, is sarcastic and resentful, with symbolism and lyrical puns. It’s a different take on heartbreak, from the usual sappy love song to a confident, (sort of) mature place of acceptance. I think some relationships are better off no longer existing, and cutting ties with someone often feels like a death. Though in the state of writing this song, the ‘grave’ reference may had not been symbolic in the moment.

We admire that you work independently. How important is the DIY scene to you?

I come from a scene that is entirely DIY. It was a big adjustment to the London scene and took me a while to figure out this new navigation. In Philadelphia, I was used to putting on my own gigs - booking the venue and bands, making the poster, running the whole night. And most of them took place in warehouses or people's basements, partially being that Philadelphia doesn’t have the money London does to keep venues open, and you can’t drink (or play at bars) if you’re under 21 in the US.

I find in London people are typically competing against each other, where in Philadelphia the music is entirely community based. I was taught how to utilise music for the better part of our community by doing a ton of fundraiser shows for local organisations, food banks, and specific people in our community going through a rough time. The government does a poor job of taking care of our city, so we have to take care of each other! Some of my favourite memories were a series of what I called ‘clothing swap gigs’, where people from the neighbourhood would bring clothes they didn’t want anymore, and anyone could take home whatever they wanted, while listening to some great music!

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s important to you?

Lately I’ve gotten back into one of Coldplay’s first albums, ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’. I first discovered this album on my first trip to London when I was 14. I fell in love with the city and kind of just knew I would go back someday. This album brings me feelings of nostalgia and remembrance. I think this Coldplay album really influenced alternative music in the early 2000’s with its dark, mysterious vibe and Chris Martin’s amazing vocals. It is a shame that everything they released after that did not meet at that same level.

Is there any new music from 2022 you have been enjoying? 

Horse Jumper of Love’s new album is so far my favourite 2022 release. The album has a new phase than their other stuff, presenting through the music and in their growth in life. I saw them live for the first time a few weeks back and it was definitely one of my favourite shows this year.

What advice would you give for anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to your music?

It’s hard to separate yourself from other artists in your genre, but I guess the uniqueness about my music lies in my excessive use of reverb and large quantities of vocal harmonies. Specifically, I use ProTools D-verb plug-ins on almost all tracks when mixing. I think one of the most important things to me in my music is perfecting the vocals. On my very first Spotify release in 2019, Summer Sunshine, I created over 100 vocal tracks with various harmonies. I’d like to call it the ‘Cosette Gobat choir’. It’s not necessary to go that far, but you can create so much space by layering vocals and mixing it properly. 

What do you love right now?

I just finished up reading Kim Gordon’s autobiography ‘Girl In a Band’. It is definitely one of the most inspiring reads I’ve ever had. Kim tells her life story through the eyes and experience as a mother, wife, visual artist, actress, and musician. I got to see her live back in May and was blown away by the whole performance. In her ripe age of 69, she’s still doing what she loves.

What do you hate right now?

There’s a tiktok trend of people going to what is called the ‘badlands’ of Philadelphia and filming people on the streets living in the most horrible conditions. Some people’s excuse for this horrible behaviour is to ‘educate’ the public, but it’s really for the likes and follows. I think there’s plenty of other things you can do to help people  than film them in their worst states and put it all over the internet.

Is there a particular place in the world you would love to play a gig one day? 

One place I’ve never been to that I’d really love to play is Tokyo. I’ve recently got into Japanese dream pop bands such as ‘800 cherries’. I heard the shoegaze scene is pretty cool there. The culture in Japan is definitely another world I’d like to explore. 

Is there anything you would like to share with our readers?

I have been spending the last two months writing and recording tons of material including singles and an EP. I have another single release coming out September 16th with Tom and His Computer via In My Room (Copehagen) which I’m very excited about, as well as a music video (for a certain secret song) that’s already been released.