[Cover photo credit to Sally Flegg]
Rock music veteran Justin Stewart Cotta (Queens Of The Stone Age, Marylin Manson, Memento, VAST) has shared the single “Little Things”, accompanied by a music video directed by Damon Gameau, and featuring real-life couples sharing truthful moments of vulnerability with each other. Cotta’s music combines Rock, Punk, and Folk with a singer/songwriter style.
Cotta has plenty to say about the bigger implications of the song:
“It’s no secret that there’s an ongoing struggle for visibility between conservatives and progressives. So for me, my favorite aspects of the video are its LGBTIQ+ representation, cultural diversity, and its unadulterated and uncensored vulnerability. Politics, as it informs social justice and equality, is never far from the surface for me as a songwriter. How politics cascades and influences personal politics has long been a concept I’m fascinated with. The tenderness in ‘Little Things’ is as much a political action as taking to the streets. Vulnerability is the new edgy.
As we fragment more and more into isolationism and individualism, it feels as though the final frontier is quite possibly organic human connection. Love and hope feel as though they are open acts of rebellion. With the video, I’m doubling down on a promise I made to myself… to stop being an apologist for my vulnerability. The video is a return to innocence and explores the simple notion that the ‘little things’ we share with each other end up becoming the most meaningful and memorable things. Like many of us, I’ve lost loved ones in the last couple of years, and it’s those simple moments with them that remain crystallized in my heart.”
Little Things” was recorded in 2021 at Hercules Street Studios in Sydney, Australia. The studio was formerly known as Albert Studios of AC/DC & Easybeats fame. Vocals, piano, guitar, bass, and synths were all written and performed by Justin Stewart Cotta. Drums were performed by Grant Gerathy (John Butler Trio).
