Boston indie post-punk trio gets to the heart of desperation through an energized new single out Friday, October 9 via The Sound Cove
The idea of a daily pill regimen can mean different things to different people depending on their age. For the young, it can mark an exciting escape from reality, a chemically-induced freedom from life’s boring grip and the ability to unlock emotions otherwise unavailable. For those who are older, it’s a lifeline in the opposite direction, a routine plunge to stay attached to what’s around us, and hell, sometimes a necessity simply to keep from shuffling off this mortal coil.
That range is on full display, with perhaps a heavier dose of the latter, in Cold Expectations’ blustery new single, a propulsive shot of post-punk urgency and power-pop chaos called “Waiting for the Pills to Take Effect,” set for release on Friday, October 9 via The Sound Cove, with an exclusive Bandcamp Friday release via the label a week prior (October 2).
“‘Pills’ is a conflux of emotions that comes from a desperate place in search of a hopeful outcome,” the Boston trio says. “At its core, it’s a masterclass in irony, exploring how a song’s meaning evolves. Waiting for pills to take effect means one thing to a young punk; it means something entirely different further down the road when you genuinely need them to work.”
And it adds an adrenalized fervor to Cold Expectations’ upcoming slate of live appearances: October 17 at Underbones in Somerville with Stop Calling Me Frank, The Dogmatics, and The Cynz and November 21 at the Roxy & The Crisis record release party at Medford Brewing Company. They’ll also perform live on YouTube for the Boston Concert Network’s livestream from the David Bieber Archives on Halloween night.
“Waiting for the Pills to Take Effect” emerges as a driving, explosive power-pop ripper, simultaneously tipping its hat to Buzzcocks, Beat poetry, and Hank Williams. It’s the first blast of new music this year from Cold Expectations – the Brighton-based trio of Steve Prygoda (guitar, synthesizer, vocals), JoEllen Saunders (bass and vocals), and Mike Demers (drums) – delivering a dark and emotional song wrapped in major power chords and amplified by a catchy sing-along dual-vocal chorus.
“Lyrically, while on the surface it might seem like a party song fit for a rave,” the band admits, “it’s about desperation rather than debauchery.”
And while it takes roughly four seconds to kick in and reach cruising altitude, instantly channeling the band’s penchant for high-energy indie post-punk, moody new wave, and jagged jangle-pop, crafting “Waiting for the Pills to Take Effect” took a significant time longer.
The bones of the track are a relic from 1995, born when Prygoda launched a punk band and was busy moonlighting within the local poetry scene, fathered by Stone Soup organizer Jack Powers. Prygoda idolized legendary Boston poet John Wieners, eventually helping Powers organize benefits for him, and even getting the chance to interview John for a short-lived local literary ‘zine. Wieners shared gritty, firsthand tales of Boston’s 1960s jazz and beat underground, teaching Steve how much power a single turn of phrase could hold.
Striking on Wieners’ words – in this case, “the abuse of despair and drugs… waiting for the pills to take effect,” describe a physical and emotional exhaustion — Prygoda anchored his own perspective to the line, matching it with some Hank Williams cowboy chords and a distortion pedal. He captured the skeleton track on a boombox with drummer Carl Treichel before packing it away.
Fast forward more than three decades later, and Prygoda, now taking on a daily pill regime to battle heart-related health issues, pulled the loose outlines of the track out of his creative vault. He appreciated the irony of reviving an old punk song about “waiting to feel better,” and applying an older perspective, now one rooted in taking pills simply to stay alive.
Prygoda brought it to the band – the original, primitive version was just guitar and drums – and together, they added the Cold Expectations sonic identity: Demers’ frantic-paced Clem Burke-like drumming, Saunders’ melodic, snake-line bassline, a Cars-esque synth squeal that adds to its propulsion, and Prygoda and Sanders’ dual vocal harmonies that give the song its levity.
“We entered the studio with high aspirations and a variety of songs we wanted to record, and Steve joked that it’s gonna be like ‘Beach House meets the Buzzcocks’ – which is kinda impossible, let’s be honest,” they add. “Over the months of overdubs and experimenting with sounds we brought both the overdriven punk-pop and the floaty, spacey vibes together in the sessions and to the songs themselves. It was the perfect example of all of us bringing our own vision for the song to the table, and creating one unified thing.”
Recorded at Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, and engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by Matthew Alexander, Cold Expectations attribute the studio time with Alexander as essential in bringing the song to its final form, 30-odd years and a whole lot of lifestyle changes later.
During an overdub session, Prygoda crafted the Moog synth line that gives the track an added bounce, and Alexander tracked additional guitar overdubs on the fly to bolster its restless presence.
“Matthew Alexander’s production elevated the song far beyond what we imagined,” the band notes. “Matt is easily one of the best around, matching his top-notch studio talents with a profound respect and understanding for the artist’s vision.”
While Cold Expectations joke that the intensity of the song “really suits our self-imposed challenge to play as loud and fast as we can without keeling over,” it has already won over audiences who have heard it in their recent live sets.
“Waiting for the Pills to Take Effect” may have a slightly different lyrical theme than when its seeds were first planted several years ago, and it may resonate with a crowd that takes pills for survival rather than late-night debauchery, but its creative impact remains.
“One friend recently remarked after catching us live that it was ‘like Gang of Four, but ethereal,’” the band concludes. “So I guess we are successfully doing what we’ve set out to accomplish with our latest sound. Art punk, but with hooks!”
And no drugs need to be ingested to feel, relate, or rock out to it.
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Connect with Cold Expectations:
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Cold Expectations are:
Steve Prygoda: Guitar, synthesizer and vocals
JoEllen Saunders: Bass and vocals
Mike Demers: Drums
‘Waiting for the Pills to Take Effect’ production credits:
Arranged and performed by Cold Expectations
Written by Steve Prygoda
Recorded at Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, MA
Engineered and produced by Matthew Alexander
Mixed and mastered by Matthew Alexander
Artwork by Steve Prygoda
Courtesy of The Sound Cove
© 2026 Confetti Falls Publishing BMI – All rights reserved
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Cold Expectations short bio:
Cold Expectations are a moody ’n dark indie post-punk trio hailing from Brighton, MA. Class of ‘24 Rock ‘N Roll Rumble selection and recording artist for The Sound Cove, Rum Bar Records, and Red on Red Records. Formed in 2016 and still going strong; louder, faster, noisier than ever. If you get Mission of Burma or Breeders vibes, you’re not wrong.
Guitarist Steve Prygoda and bassist JoEllen Saunders spent the first few years with a more alt-country sound that soon gave way to their true passion: college indie and art rock. Adding in drummer Mike Demers (The Winter Project/Krebstar) helped to fully realize a more intense, bracing modern sound. After a string of singles and videos, their first full-length CD, Static Reactions, produced by David Minehan, was released via Red on Red Records.
Their 2023 follow-up single, a cover of Lou Miami & the Kozmetix “(I Live with) Ghosts” was released on Rum Bar Records. The next two heavy-hitting singles, “Our Hearts Need Electricity” and “The Fight” soon followed via The Sound Cove in 2025. Returning to the studio, “Waiting for the Pills to Take Effect” is their most recent single, also from The Sound Cove.
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