Wilco’s Hot Sun Cool Shroud EP, a six-track companion to last year's Cousin, captures the fleeting magic of summer with its blend of restless experimentation, sultry moods, and Jeff Tweedy’s vivid storytelling.
Wilco is keeping the creative streak alive with Hot Sun Cool Shroud, a six-track EP that radiates a unique "summertime-after-dark" vibe. Following the tracks laid down by their 2023 album Cousin, the Chicago band unearthed unfinished ideas and songs from those sessions and tweaked them into something fresh to keep the story going. Produced once again by frontman Jeff Tweedy and mixer-engineer Tom Schick, the EP serves as both an expansion and a counterpoint to Cousin, altogether giving us a deeper listen into what they started on that previous album.
Tweedy describes the EP as a trip through the sultry moods of summer, starting with the heat of the day and ending in the cool relief of night. “It’s fun to have something new to release at Solid Sound,” Tweedy explains, referring to the band’s festival, where the EP debuted. “There’s a little bit of everything: broody cicadas, angular and aggressive instrumentals, and even a love song that melts you like ice cream in the sun. It’s all the pieces of summer.”
The opening tracks bring a simmering tension, with sharp instrumentals and a restless energy reminiscent of Wilco’s earlier, more experimental work. As the EP unfolds, the tone softens, capturing the unexplainable magic of summer nights. It’s a perfect companion to Cousin, but also stands firmly on its own as an exploration of heat, light, and the quiet introspection that comes with warm, dusky evenings. What’s always there is Tweedy’s knack for painting vivid imagery with his lyrics, like describing the sensation of love melting into a sugary puddle. It’s classic Wilco: emotionally grounded yet sonically adventurous, with enough layers to keep us finding something new with each listen.
The EP’s artwork carries its own story, tying it closely to Wilco’s community roots. During Solid Sound Festival 2024, attendees had the chance to submit designs for the cover. The winner, a vibrant unicorn-inspired piece by a young artist named Clementine, perfectly captures the EP’s playful and mythical spirit. Hot Sun Cool Shroud adds another chapter to Wilco’s ever-evolving story, with its mix of edgy instrumentals, lovely melodies, and Tweedy’s powerful storytelling. And it reminds once again why they continue to be one of the most compelling modern rock bands of the last three decades. Hot Sun Cool Shroud is the Summer captured in sound, as fleeting and beautiful as the season itself.