By Scout Nicholson / The Jambar
“Be weird and play music” are words Cleveland-based band Cool Party lives by. From DIY concerts in burger joints to vlogging its adventures, this band performs with friendship and fun in mind.
The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Laurel Ila, bassist Andi Chakraborty, drummer Vaughan Ticherich and guitarist Mario Benjamin.
The group initially formed in summer 2024, created by Ila as a way to showcase her work. Over time, the band grew closer and formed its current lineup during spring 2025.
“I do think we found our sound as we kept going,” Chakraborty said. “I also feel like once we added [Ticherich], he kind of felt like a missing piece in Cool Party. We all just saw the vision.”
The band’s website states that Cool Party is an “indie grungegaze bagel rock band.” When questioned exactly what “bagel rock” is, Ila said that she was just eating a lot of bagels at the time.
“I think that indie grungegaze is the best way to describe it because it does have a little bit of a simple, indie rock sound. But, there is a lot of heaviness to it and some screaming and fuzz,” Chakraborty said.
The band credits its teamwork to the fact that its members are a friend group more than anything. Chakraborty said the group spends most of its time together, hanging out and having fun.
“I feel like that’s kind of the base of the band is that we’re all friends first. We’re all real close. I mean, [Ila] and I hang out all the time,” Chakraborty said.
The band released its debut EP titled “underoath” in April, featuring six tracks and a runtime of 18 minutes.
Part of “underoath” was recorded at Superior Sound Recording in Cleveland, where Ila said the band recorded it live as a group to make the sound more unified and less overproduced.
“I do prefer getting a live recording of all of us playing together, rather than, ‘Okay, time for you part,’” Ila said. “It just feels so much better [live], and it sounds overproduced sometimes when you do it that way.”
The day the EP was released, the band hosted a release party at Doinks Burger Joint, a local restaurant in Cleveland. The band filmed and vlogged the show, which is available on its YouTube.
“All that planning was stressful but also really fun. The turnout was great and everyone was just really excited to be there, and really excited to hear some music. It felt like a huge party,” Chakraborty said. “Having your community be there for you during it was definitely really beautiful to see.”
The band will play a DIY show Oct. 12 at Cherry Pit in Cleveland Heights.
To listen to Cool Party, those interested can find the band’s music on Spotify and Apple Music.
