Cosmonauts make psychedelic Atlanta debut

Although the Los Angeles-based Cosmonauts have been at it since 2009, the group is just now making its Atlanta debut tonight (May 16). The group, often called “the Beach Boys on downers,” has a shared love for the timeless psychedelic sounds of the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Velvet Underground, and Spacemen 3, as well as various others ’90s shoegazer acts inspired by the same influences. “The band started because the other guitarist and singer, Derek Cowart, and I met after I saw him playing an acoustic Spacemen 3 cover at a party,” said guitarist and singer Alex Ahmadi.

Despite their origin and influences, the Cosmonauts are often lumped in with the current crop of modern garage-punk bands. Specifically, the other young groups that have had cassettes and records released by Fullerton, CA’s Burger Records. A still unnamed full-length is expected to come out late this summer on Burger, though that doesn’t mean the new material will be lo-fi. “These songs are the cleanest we’ve ever recorded, but if people still want to call it garage, that’s fine,” Ahmadi said.