✩ koo - vo

Described as "Springsteen meets Dijon," Couvo makes the perfect music for your End of the World playlist. His latest album, Empty Country, is both a mid-aughts indie nostalgia trip and a fresh look at the genre, as he tells the stories of people coming to terms with their lives amid a political landscape that, well, feels like an empty country. “It’s an investigation into how we make sense of our personal tumult against the larger world,” Josh Couvares (aka Couvo) says. Despite this, it’s the only world we’ll ever exist in. Equal parts anthemic inderock barn-burners and Bon Iver-esque acoustic introspective ballads, Empty Country is an album that proves that Couvo is a master of his craft.

Known for his raucous live performances, Couvo has sold out local shows in NYC scene, ranging from Berlin Under A, Union Pool, Arlene's Grocery, and has been featured in publications like Earmilk and Wonderland Mag and more. Catch him on tour this summer throughout the Northeast.

“”Visiting Hours” is a soft reminder of the fleeting nature of youth, life and love that kicks off with slow and sparse guitar, progresses to the kind of lonely fluttering of a saxophone you’d hear while trudging down wet cobblestone streets at midnight and then builds to a rousing finale reminiscent of a band like Bleachers—culminating with a rally cry for romance and passionate plea for grabbing ahold of the present.”

““How It’s Always Gonna Go” is a slow-building account of the frustrations of making big plans that never really seem to amount to anything. It’s about the need to escape but knowing that even as the route is being planned, the map is more an exercise in bullshitting than something that anyone is ever actually going to follow. Like many of singer and songwriter Josh Couvares’s songs, “How It’s Always Gonna Go” is set in a bar, probably somewhere in the fuzzy period between the fourth beer and last call.”

— Zach Romano, Look At My Records!

“Couvo sings of optimism and hope for a brighter future with a profound maturity on ‘A Prayer’. Boasting a stripped-back acoustic sound, Couvo is sure to pull on your heartstrings and make you look deep within. Brass sounds and a bright ending are sure to linger long after the song has ended.”

— Lucas Andrews, Music Crowns

“On the latest single, 'A Prayer,' Couvo laments optimism and hope for a better future with remarkable maturity. Couvo is likely to tug at your heartstrings and elicit empathy and profound introspection with hymn-like melodies and a stripped-back acoustic atmosphere. The song builds to an optimistic conclusion with delectable brass and a folk flavour, establishing Couvo as a skilled songwriter.”

— Flex Music Blog

“Here’s some soft, melodic indie-rock to feed your soul from Brooklyn’s standout songwriter Couvo (aka Josh Couvares) who is treating our little mid-00s nostalgic selves with ‘How It’s Always Gonna Go’. It’s one of those songs that pivots around late-night angst and a rhetorical questions that no matter how many times they’re asked, always go unanswered. Like many good songs of the genre, it perfectly encapsulating the mood of restlessness, giving us hope through a stirring indie-pop hook and energy through sing-along lyrics.”

— Aruna River, Unrecorded

“Couvo (aka Josh Couvares) is a master of his craft. ‘Tired’ is an indie-pop release that reaches out and touches the listener. Lyrically it is thoroughly engaging, and melodically it stays with the audience long after the music has ended.”

— FVMusicBlog

“‘Tired’… manages to tell a story and entertain without feeling long. Different voices fade in and out of the texture, contributing what they need then allowing the personable vocals to lead the energy. What really impressed me, however, was how honest and artistic everything managed to be. Vocals felt like they were delivered from a close friend venting while the instrumental focused on twisting and enhancing the energy around it. At no point does the band get caught up in making the message easily digestible or trying to produce the next number one single. Instead, they stuck to their groove and produced this amazing and down to Earth track. Kudos.”

— Tyler Roberts, Indie Top 39

What It's Like Touring Solo as a DIY Musician

Watch