John Cozz - “I Want You To Believe”
New Jersey musician John Cozz is pretty much synonymous with The Garden State. So, it’s unsurprising that his most recent endeavor involves resurrecting various New Jersey-specific folklore. As it turns out, there’s some freaky, weird shit happening across the vast swath of this state, from the boonies of Sussex County down to the desolate Pine Barrens, and everywhere in between. John Cozz has made it his purpose to ensure you don’t forget some of this state’s most memorable folklore, and he’s doing it through song and motion picture. The resulting creation is a four-song EP entitled I Want You To Believe, and an accompanying film, The Legend of Louie. Both highlight four memorable folklore.
I Want You To Believe is 11 minutes of Weird NJ gold. Starting with the stirring “take me out tonight,” which chronicles the infamous abandoned tunnel complex dubbed The Gates of Hell in Clifton, Cozz sings “I don’t care, I’d go to hell and back with you” - referencing the otherworldly portal that supposedly lies somewhere deep in the belly of these underground tubes. The song features a combination of synths and guitars reminiscent of Software Slump-era Grandaddy. “…leave me alone, country roads” starts a bit more ominously, delving into the legend of Clinton Road, a dark, winding street in West Milford that was recently dubbed New Jersey’s Most Haunted. The oscillating guitars nicely mimic the road’s twists and turns, which segues perfectly into “a friend of the jersey devil,” an ode to the fabled creature that inhabits the Pine Barrens. Cozz sings from the perspective of the misunderstood devil himself, referring to himself as “Louie” (short for Lucifer), and recounting his origins as the cursed 13th child of Jane Leeds. The EP concludes with the wistful-sounding “passaic river,” a conduit of water that’s simultaneously disgustingly polluted and majestically beautiful. The guitar outro on this tune definitely brings the aforementioned Grandaddy comparison back to the forefront. Cozz recorded the EP with frequent collaborator Max Rauch at Domestic Bliss Recording in West Orange, New Jersey.
Stream the entire EP below! You can also watch The Legend of Louie video in its entirety below.
I Want You To Believe is available to purchase via Bandcamp. You can also listen to it on your streaming platform of choice. Keep up with all things John Cozz by following him on Instagram.
