The Coo

They could easily have spent their whole lives living worlds apart, but the chance encounter between the two songwriters of The Coo feels like it was always meant to be. The Coo’s journey started with a serendipitous meeting at an Amsterdam open mic, and has since evolved into a deep musical and personal relationship that bridges the North Sea. Matt Arthur (from the Violet Hum) and Jara Holdert (Lewin) write and sing songs together in two-part harmony, reminiscent of the warm late 60s and early 70s sound of artists such as Carole King & James Taylor; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and contemporary artists such as Angus & Julia Stone and Big Thief. Because they live in different countries, the years that followed Matt and Jara’s meeting were spent writing songs over WhatsApp, meeting over FaceTime and visiting each other - when they could afford it - to play intimate acoustic shows together. “We discovered very quickly that there was this kind of magic between us, musically” says Matt. “We enjoyed playing together so much that songs just evolved naturally”. In April 2019 they gathered some friends and fans in an old synagogue in the center of Amsterdam and captured their unique live connection on the songs that would eventually make up their debut EP ‘Amsterdam Moon’. In 2024 The Coo is ready to release their debut album, recorded in collaboration with producer and master of analogue tapes, Sean Gascoigne.