The More We Live is my first full-length solo album — and in many ways, the first time I’ve let my own voice stand completely on its own.
I’ve always been part of ensembles. For years I’ve written, composed, and recorded solo music in the background, but I’ve mostly leaned into the bands and collectives I’ve been blessed to work with. Collaboration has been my home. But when my father passed away in January 2024, something shifted in me. He was my first and most enduring musical teacher — a kind of maestro in my life — and his passing stirred a fire in me to finally move through the inertia that had kept so much of my solo work unreleased.
started going through over a hundred songs I had sitting in various stages of completion — some from twelve years ago, others I had just written, and some that came in during the process of making this album. As I sat with them, a larger narrative started to take shape. Something cohesive. Something honest.
The More We Live became a concept album — an existential exploration of the paradoxes of being human: the tension between sinner and saint, paranoia and love, certainty and surrender. It’s about our psychology, our emotions, our ideologies — and the contradictions we live inside every day. I found myself pushing back against rigid binaries and instead opening space for nuance, for the grey areas, for paradox. It’s beautiful and terrifying and, at times, completely incomprehensible — but that’s the point.
I was also inspired by Bowie and Eno’s Outside album — the idea of stepping “outside” the mainstream. For me, that meant letting go of the boundaries of genre and allowing the songs to move in whatever direction they needed to. I’ve spent the last 20 years making music rooted in reggae, hip hop, blues, rock, and soul — and all of that is still in me. But with this album, I intentionally explored digital production, layered vocals, choral counterpoint, atmosphere, and structural looseness — not to escape genre, but to serve emotion and idea.
There’s joy, pain, confusion, grace, and ultimately a steady refrain of love in this record. Making this album was a healing act. A reckoning. A homecoming.
The More We Live feels like a letter from a distant land — not because it’s foreign, but because I finally allowed myself to write it alone. And now, I’m ready to share it.
credits
released May 16, 2025
This one is for Kai — thank you for sharing the gift of music as a form of love. Your spirit echoes in every note.
Written in reverence, rhythm, love, and radical honesty.
All songs were written, produced, and performed by Cosmos Ray (unless otherwise noted).
“Unravel” was written Björk
“Fade Into You” was written by Mazzy Star
The Extraordinary Collaborators:
Rollin Weary – The sonic sculptor behind the mix!
• Mixed every track at Deluxe Recording Studio (unless otherwise noted) with fine-tuned ears and a golden touch.
• Also played guitar on “When You’re Gone (conversations with my selves),” adding some extra heart.
Dan Zorn – Wizard of mastering (and mixing sorcery).
• Mastered the entire record at Vissona Recording Company.
• Mixed “Paranoia” and “Reluctant Healers.”
Nic The Graduate – A genius in the lab.
• Composed and produced “Sin Tax” and “It Is What It Is.”
• Co-produced “Fade Into You,” our reimagined tribute to the Mazzy Star classic.
Doug Bistrow – Low-end legend and vocal Jedi.
• Recorded vocals and laid down bass on “When You’re Gone (conversations with my selves),” anchoring it in earth and soul.
💌 Special Love & Eternal Gratitude:
• To my mother and Don, for your unwavering support and pushing me to practice saxophone in elementary school.
• To Julia, thank you for all your support and for being my most honest critic and patient listener.
• To Mr. Greenweedz, for the mic nudges and stage courage — you lit the fuse.
• To Marv G aka (g) riot and Melly Mel aka Yuani, for inspiring me to dig into beats and build my own productions from scratch.
• To the mighty Star People and Akasha crews — you shaped my sound and sharpened my soul.
⸻
I love you all.
Thank you for walking with me.
The More We Live is yours now, too.
— Cosmos Ray
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