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Philadelphia-based alternative rockers Cold Court released their debut EP on Friday, acting as an introduction to the boundless soundscapes that the emerging band is capable of.
The EP’s title, “\(^_^) /,” is a string of characters depicting an emoji with its hands raised that band members refer to as “Hands Up.”
All seven tracks were written by sibling duo Jojo Lavina-Maldonado and Mini Serrano, with the original goal of keeping everything outside of the computer. They recorded in various locations, including their old apartment in Philadelphia and upstate New York.
Lavina-Maldonado said while the initial recordings sounded cool, they weren’t quite right.
“We kind of panicked and started clipping everything, started turning everything up,” he said. “It was just kind of like our instinct.”
Originally hailing from New Jersey, the siblings have been making music together since they were children. The two would tag along with their father to recording studios where he worked on hip-hop tracks.
While those early memories were foundational to their first collaborative efforts, the siblings said they somewhat grew apart as they got older. Once Serrano found the guitar, their bond was stronger than ever.
“My first year [in high school] was when I found rock music,” Serrano said. “Once I found My Chemical Romance, I was like, ‘I want to learn guitar.’”
“As soon as Mini came to me about playing guitar and recording stuff, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is like the coolest thing ever,’” Lavina-Maldonado said.
The band officially formed in 2021, when Lavina-Maldonado was a senior in high school and Serrano was a freshman. The two would record songs using computer programs like FL Studio, which they would carry into their songwriting process.
“We were very ambitious with the way that we started this and the way that we approached it,” Serrano said. “We kind of wanted to make the best music ever. Every idea to us had to be so cutting-edge.”
Cold Court, the Philadelphia-based alternative rock outfit, is the musical output of siblings Mini Serrano and Jojo Lavina-Maldonado. On June 19, 2026, the band released its debut EP, “(^_^) / (Hands Up),” a genre-bending affair of seven tracks that serves as an introduction to the songwriting duo. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)