On World Mental Health Day (10th October), Ed Cosens returned with his first single since 2021. In ‘Blackdog’, the Sheffield singer-songwriter addresses widely experienced mental health struggles.
As the current co-songwriter for Reverend And The Makers, Cosens has always been a key figure in the Sheffield music scene.
The singer-songwriter has set out to translate his experience into a solo career too, and debut album Fortunes Favour showcased Cosens’ ability to detail emotional subjects through the ballad style.
In ‘Blackdog’, the talent of Cosens as a solo artist is clear. The topic of depression is approached through an easy listening song instrumentally, and this backdrop emulates the condition well as it provides an empty or tired feeling. Writing much of the song in Whitby, an old childhood destination for Cosens, perhaps helped to find this connection between theme and emotion.
Whilst self-worth and anxiety were often explored across the 10-track album Fortunes Favour, ‘Blackdog’ delves into the topics more explicitly. This makes sense as Cosens hoped that the track would help to start conversations about mental health. The expression ‘black dog’ is used to represent depression metaphorically, and discussing the topic symbolically seems appropriate given the tendency for people to be hesitant about expressing their actual feelings.
This new single sends a powerful message and was evidently a carefully crafted song by Cosens. The soloist’s second album supposedly draws inspiration from more personal territory, with details of the release coming soon. ‘Blackdog’ highlights signs of what we might expect to hear throughout the album – honest takes with a classic songwriter sound.
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