“Cool and Bendable,” the first single from Kalmia Traver’s upcoming EP as Kalbells, Mothertime, is an avant-garde exploration of being human, and the “general aliveness” of earth. But despite how heady and, perhaps, introspective that concept sounds, Traver’s song itself is actually quite the opposite: crackly and tactile, it feels more like a dazzling celebration anthem than a highbrow missive on the meaning of life. Produced with Chrome Sparks’ Jeremy Malvin, it’s a pleasantly overwhelming first taste of Mothertime.
“[“Cool and Bendable”] was inspired by a dream in which I held my yet-unborn child, but as I finished writing the song in the studio with Jeremy, I realized it was actually about holding myself, a body, a life,” Traver told The FADER of the song in an email. “Supple, strong, funny: a person, a being. I also think I was celebrating in awe the general aliveness of our world, Earth."
Watch the Charles Billot-directed video for “Cool and Bendable” above.