Cog (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
| Products | Albums, EPs, Singles |
Cog is a rock ensemble originating from Australia, established in 1998. Their first full-length record, The New Normal, received a nomination for Triple J's 2005 J Award. Their musical style incorporates elements influenced by Tool, Isis, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, Leftfield, Deftones, and Helmet.
Before 1998
During the 1980s in Bondi, friends Flynn Gower and Lucius Borich, the son of renowned Australian blues guitarist Kevin Borich, occasionally collaborated musically. Borich, who played drums, and Flynn, a guitarist, shared informal jam sessions. After completing school, Borich became part of the band Juice, while Flynn led Sydney’s metal group The Hanging Tree. In 1995, following the release of Juice’s debut album, Borich briefly joined The Hanging Tree before moving to the United States to work as a session drummer across various musical styles. Concurrently, Flynn aimed to establish a new band and reconnected with Borich, resulting in the formation of Cog.
Band formation and initial releases (1998–2003)
Though initially intending to form the band in the United States, Borich returned to discover that Flynn had sold his equipment. The drum, bass, and guitar tracks for the Just Visiting EPs were laid down in 1998 with Borich handling bass duties; vocals were added two years later. Flynn enlisted his brother Luke, formerly a member of Sydney’s Tax, to perform bass during live shows. The group toured regularly between Sydney and Melbourne.
Their first residency at Sydney’s Forrest Inn Hotel was without a lead singer; after dismissing several demo submissions, Flynn developed his vocal skills to assume this role. Their significant breakthrough occurred with a Wednesday night headlining series at the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills, where they consistently attracted full audiences over four months. This success led to a nomination for "best emerging live band in NSW" at the Australian Live Music Awards. In 2001, Cog secured a deal with underground label Little Samurai Records and prepared to release the two-part Just Visiting EP series.
Although recorded simultaneously, each EP displayed distinct stylistic differences and was released separately to broaden reach. Before releasing Just Visiting Part One in February 2002, Cog supported System of a Down at the Hordern Pavilion. This EP remained within the ARIA Top 20 Heavy Rock/Metal singles/EPs chart for more than two years. The track "Bondi" was featured on Andrew Haug's Triple J 3 Hours of Power Compilation.
Following this, Just Visiting Part Two was issued in October 2002 and also maintained strong chart presence on ARIA listings. That same year, Cog won "best emerging live band in NSW" at the Australian Live Music Awards. After extensive touring—including an appearance at the Big Day Out festival in 2003—they recorded a cover version of Leftfield’s "Open Up," which became popular during live performances.
After these activities, Cog concentrated on composing and demoing tracks for their debut album.
The New Normal era (2004–2006)
By late 2003, most songs destined for The New Normal had been demoed; several had been performed live since May 2002. Initially lacking adequate financial resources, Cog eventually signed with Aloha Management (Shihad, Killing Heidi) and Paul Krige’s Difrnt Music label.
In late 2004, they recorded their debut album in Weed, California under producer Sylvia Massy (System of a Down, Tool). Following a short tour along Australia’s east coast and an appearance at the first-ever Pyramid Rock Festival, The New Normal was released domestically in April 2005. It entered the ARIA Charts at No. 19 and topped the Australian Independent Recordings (AIR) album charts at No. 1. The album also earned a nomination for the 2005 Triple J J Award.
To support the release, Cog led an Australian tour from April to May alongside Karnivool and In the Grey. In July, they opened for Shihad during their New Zealand tour. October saw them embark on a national tour with The Fumes, Grand Fatal, and Jakob. They concluded 2005 performing at major events such as Homebake, Pyramid Rock Festival, and Big Day Out.
In early 2006, Cog supported Grinspoon at Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 racing event and appeared at Perth’s Rock-It Festival alongside Silverchair and Shihad. Tours throughout March and April promoted their final single from The New Normal, titled "Resonate".
Sharing Space (2007–2010)
Starting in June 2006, Cog intended to spend part of the year in the United States promoting The New Normal, but its release was postponed until 2007.
On 9 January 2007, the band commenced recording their sophomore album, Sharing Space, in Weed, California, collaborating with producer Sylvia Massy. Recording was temporarily halted in June to embark on the Boomerang Tour throughout Australia, where they introduced new songs such as "Bird of Feather" and "What If". In November, they returned to tour Australia again, supporting "What If?", the lead single from their upcoming album scheduled for April 2008, which also marked their debut performance in North Queensland.
The single "What If" was released on 3 November 2007, accompanied by the album's title track as its B-side. It entered the ARIA physical singles chart at position No. 21. The full album Sharing Space was officially released on 12 April 2008. During May and June, Cog toured Australia alongside New Zealand acts Kora and Jakob, as well as Melbourne’s progressive rock group Sleep Parade and Brisbane’s Melodyssey. Despite encountering difficulties during the recording process, frontman Borich highlighted that such creative challenges are crucial for crafting enduring music.
In July 2008, Cog made their UK debut performing at Shepherd's Bush Empire and GuilFest, sharing the stage with New Zealand’s Shihad, and expressed interest in launching a European edition of Sharing Space.
That same year saw the re-release of their 2002 EPs Just Visiting Part One and Just Visiting Part Two combined into a complete album titled Just Visiting, remastered by Lucius Borich at Studios 301.
Mid-2009 featured an Australian tour with British band Oceansize, marking Cog’s most triumphant headline tour to date. They also appeared at every Australian stop of the 2009 Big Day Out festival.
In 2010, Cog unveiled The Sound of Three: 12 Years With You, a CD/DVD package produced by Borich containing live recordings from their "Between Oceans" tour alongside a documentary about the band. A supporting tour took place in June, during which Borich hinted these might be their final performances.
Cog’s presumed concluding concert occurred at The Tivoli in Brisbane on 12 June 2010, ending with "No Other Way" from Sharing Space. They proceeded to perform four additional shows—including appearances at the Full Noise Festival in Townsville and a Sydney nightclub—before delivering their final gig on 22 December 2010. Following this, the band entered a six-year hiatus prior to reuniting.
Hiatus (2011–2016)
Throughout Cog’s break, Lucius Borich became part of FloatingMe, a group featuring former members of Scary Mother and Karnivool’s Jon Stockman; they released a self-titled album in 2011. Meanwhile, Flynn and Luke Gower established The Occupants in 2012, debuting with the single "I've Been Thinking" in April 2013 and following up with an EP in 2014.
Reunion and The Middle (2016–present)
In January 2016, Cog reactivated their official Facebook profile by posting new photographs, sparking rumors about a reunion. By February, the band confirmed plans for several headlining concerts slated for July that year.
During 2017, Cog focused on crafting new material and shared updates on their progress via Instagram. Their single "The Middle," released in 2018, represented their first new music release after ten years. Subsequent singles included "Altered States" and "Drawn Together," with the latter supporting their 2019 Drawn Together Tour.
Controversy
In 2021, lead vocalist Flynn Gower sparked debate by posting anti-vaccine messages and COVID-19 conspiracy theories on social platforms, alongside openly endorsing anti-lockdown demonstrations in New South Wales.
Studio albums
| Title | Album information | Highest chart positions |
Certification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New Normal |
|
19 | ||
| Sharing Space |
|
2 |
|
Compilations
| Title | Album information | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Just Visiting |
|
EPs
| Title | EP details | Highest chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Pseudo |
|
- |
| Just Visiting Part One |
|
- |
| Just Visiting Part Two |
|
90 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Highest chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| 2003 | "Open Up" | 81 |
| 2005 | "Run" | 75 |
| 2006 | "Resonate" | - |
| "Real Life" | - | |
| 2007 | "What If" | 45 |
| 2008 | "Bird of Feather" | 72 |
| 2018 | "The Middle" | - |
| "Altered States" | - | |
| 2019 | "Drawn Together" | - |
Video albums
| Title | Album information | Highest chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS DVD Chart | ||
| The Sound of Three: 12 Years with You |
|
1 |
J Award
The J Awards represent an annual recognition in the Australian music scene, initiated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-oriented radio channel Triple J in 2005.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Australian alternative rock groups
- Australian progressive rock groups
- Australian alternative metal musical groups
- Math rock groups
- Musical groups from Sydney
- Musical groups established in 1998
- Musical groups disestablished in 2010
- Musical groups reestablished in 2016
- Superball Music artists
- Sibling musical groups