Manchester-based collective Hello Cosmos have released “Black Gloss”, a new single taken from their latest album Come Out Tonight, as the group continues an active return following several years away from the studio spotlight.
The track, which is out now across all major streaming platforms, is described by the band as one of the most immediate and accessible moments on their second official studio album. Pressed on 12-inch vinyl via the group’s own label, Cosmic Glue, Come Out Tonight is already drawing strong critical attention and marks a significant chapter in the band’s evolution.
“Black Gloss” arrives as the fourth and final single from the album, following “Gig Buddies”, “Grind Into The Shrine” and “FUK ZUK”. Built around a direct chorus and a propulsive synthetic groove, the song reflects Hello Cosmos’ blend of electronic experimentation, post-punk energy and socially reflective songwriting.
Frontman Ben Robinson describes the track as a coming-of-age reflection on identity and conformity.
“It’s a celebration of that moment growing up when you become alternative to escape the crowd and then the irony of realising everyone has done the same thing”
The single is drawn from Come Out Tonight, which represents Hello Cosmos’ first studio album proper in more than five years, following their debut Dream Harder in 2020. The record was produced by Jamie Lockhart at Greenmount Studios in Leeds, continuing a long-running creative partnership that has spanned all of the group’s studio releases to date.
The album’s creation was notably international in scope, with recording sessions taking place in New York City, Los Angeles, Kampala, Leeds, Stockport and Manchester. The band say this global approach helped shape a sound influenced by a wide range of cultural and musical perspectives, while remaining rooted in the collective’s Manchester origins.
Lyrically, Come Out Tonight explores themes of digital fatigue, modern disconnection and the need for real-world engagement. Robinson has previously described the album as a response to what he sees as an increasingly passive, screen-dominated culture.
“A lot of the upcoming record is about finding the strength to switch off digital screens and go out and live. It’s becoming more and more normalised to stay in, comatosed by ultraprocessed food and algorithms firing shallow dopamine hits, keeping us all hooked on a short wavelength, gradually becoming dumber, hopeless and unhealthy… We all need to wake each other up, get off the cool aid of digital apps, social media and algorithmic scrolling.”
Critical reception to the album has been positive. In a five-star review, Louder Than War described the record as “Angry, alive and out to inspire, Come Out Tonight stands as a loud and reassuringly bold offering from the ever-growing Hello Cosmos collective”. Punktuation added that “Ten years into their existence, the Manchester collective have never sounded better!”, while Far Out Magazine awarded the album four stars, calling it “A shot of genre-fused adrenaline”.
Hello Cosmos are currently celebrating ten years as a recording project and have re-emerged with a refreshed line-up. The group is led by Robinson, co-founder of Kendal Calling and bluedot festivals, alongside his brother Simon on drums. They are joined by strings and synth specialist Angela Chan, known for her work with Placebo and Lanterns on the Lake, as well as bassist and percussionist Isaac Dobson, guitarist Alex Beston of Vacant Weekend, saxophone and synth player Frankie Pigeon, and harmonica player Oli Brown, who previously produced the band’s Golden Dirt mixtape.
Behind the scenes, the band have also been building their own studio, creative space and label, Cosmic Glue, which now serves as the platform for their releases. The launch of Come Out Tonight is described by the group as only the beginning of a wider creative cycle, with further new material already in development, including another full-length release and what they describe as a “comedown album”.
With “Black Gloss” now streaming and the album available on vinyl, Hello Cosmos appear firmly focused on momentum. After a period of relative quiet, the collective’s return signals a renewed commitment to collaboration, live performance and music designed to challenge complacency, both sonically and socially.
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