Modern Cosmology is a musical ensemble composed of six individuals of the human race, none of which are cosmologists or astronomers, although Felipe S. – who sings and plays the guitar – knows quite a bit about reading astrological charts. He shares his frontperson duties with one Laetitia Sadier who, by virtue of her singer-songwriter career both as a solo artist and as part of the Stereolab ‘groop’, happens to be one of the key figures of her bandmates’ musical formation.

Their paths first crossed when Marcelo – also on guitars – lent his amp for some of Laetitia’s solo concerts in Brazil under the condition that he got to meet his musical idol, and along came his brother Vicente – who plays the drums – and keyboardist Chiquinho. The four lads, plus Missionário José on bass, are collectively called Mombojó, an established band on the Brazilian alternative scene. And if the story so far seems a little convoluted, there’s a short documentary about this star alignment here: https://youtu.be/iDCad4LRHYo

So Laetitia and Mombojó started collaborating, they first made a song called “Summer Long”, a video for that song directed by their friend Alex Carvalho (https://youtu.be/V920ojLLYOM), and then later an artistic residency in the northeast of Brazil which spawned four more songs, collected in an EP that also bears the name “Summer Long”, released in 2016 (https://elefant.com/shop/album/15684/summer-long). It was while making this EP that Laetitia suggested that the collaboration turned into a band in its own right, and when the time came to send it out to the world they decided to present themselves as Modern Cosmology. “C’est le vent”, the opening track on the EP, also has a video directed by Luan Cardoso: https://youtu.be/dnXw-1bjLsE.