Every Cold War Kids Song, Ranked

Cold War Kids have been one of my favorite bands since I first started listening to them in 2007. I’ve anticipated the release of each of their new albums, and even when an album has disappointed me a bit, they still have redeeming qualities because CWK is such a brilliant band.

So, I decided to do something a little extreme: rank every single Cold War Kids song. Yes, every single one. From the EPs to albums to one-off tracks to bonus tracks. This is quite an undertaking and I’m sure I will get some of these wrong. So, please, tell me which ones I got wrong, which ones I got right, and if I forgot any.

The Throwaways

These are the songs I skip every time they come up on shuffle. Listen, even the Rolling Stones had some bad songs. It’s part of being an artist.

106. “Pregnant” — Robbers & Cowards

105. “God, Make Up Your Mind” — Robbers & Cowards

104. “Baby Boy” — Behave Yourself

103. “Avalanche In B” — Loyalty to Loyalty

102. “On The Night My Love Broke Through” — Loyalty to Loyalty

101. “Wilshire Protest” — LA Divine

100. “Portuguese Bend” — Five Quick Cuts“Sensitive Kid” — Mine Is Yours

99. “Cryptomnesia” — Loyalty to Loyalty

98. “LA River” — LA Divine

97. “Golden Gate Jumpers” — Loyalty to Loyalty

96. “Red Wine, Success” — Robbers & Cowards

95. “Cameras Always On” — LA Divine

94. “Something Is Not Right With Me” — Loyalty to Loyalty

Plucked Too Soon

These songs have some redeeming qualities, but probably could have benefited from more time in the studio or some other change. I don’t skip these every time, but they are rarely my choice to listen to.

93. “Tell Me In The Morning” — Robbers & Cowards

92. “Portuguese Bend” — Five Quick Cuts

91. “Robbers” — Robbers & Cowards

90. “Finally Begin” — Mine Is Yours

89. “Locker Room Talk” — Single

88. “Skip The Charades” — Mine Is Yours

87. “1X1" — Single

86. “Out of the Wilderness” — Mine Is Yours

85. “Broken Open” — Mines Is Yours

84. “Welcome To The Occupation” — Loyalty to Loyalty

83. “Flying Upside Down” — Mine Is Yours

82. “Pine St.” — Tuxedos EP

81. “Free to Breathe” — LA Divine

80. “Hair Down” — Robbers & Cowards

79. “In Harmony In Silver” — This Will All Blow Over In Time

Worth Multiple Listens

Many of these songs are acquired tastes. If you like CWK then you should give these a few listens before truly appreciating them,

78. “Rubidoux” — Robbers & Cowards

If you stick around after the end of this song, you can hear the demo for “Sermons” which actually makes this song even better.

77. “Mine Is Yours” — Mine Is Yours

76. “Against Privacy” — Loyalty to Loyalty

75. “Relief” — Loyalty to Loyalty

74. “Aeon” — Tuxedos EP

73. “Dear Miss Lonelyhearts” — Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

72. “Love on the Brain” — Los Feliz Blvd

71. “Opium Tea” — This Will All Blow Over In Time

70. “Harold Bloom” — Hold My Home

69. “Open Up the Heavens” — LA Divine

68. “Invincible” — LA Divine

67. “Dreams Old Men Dream” — Loyalty to Loyalty

66. “Coffee Spoon” — Behave Yourself

65. “No Reason to Run” — LA Divine

64. “Expensive Tastes” — Live From Fingerprints

63. “Bitter Poem” — Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

62. “Tricky Devil” — New Age Norms 1

Solid Tracks

Every one of these is a good song, just not the best that CWK has to offer. Definitely worth listening to whenever they come up.

61. “Bulldozer” — Mine Is Yours

60. “Luck Down” — LA Divine

59. “One Song At A Time” — Five Quick Cuts

“Can We Hang On?” — LA Divine

12. “Audience Of One” — Behave Yourself

The Behave Yourself EP was made up of songs that CWK never put on an album, but had been playing live for years. To me, this EP is a perfect little capsule of what makes CWK great. “Audience” is by far the best song on the EP. It was my ringtone for like five years.

11. “Romance Languages #1” — This Will All Blow Over In Time

I really have no idea why this song took so long to be released. CWK released “Romance Languages #2” on the Tuxedos EP in 2013, but #1 didn’t see the light of day until 2019. This is, of course, assuming that CWK wasn’t being cheeky by giving the songs out-of-order numbers. “Romance Languages #1” is a much more full-fledged song with a steel drum and a driving bass line. It’s got a feel that’s unlink any other CWK song.

10. “Royal Blue” — Mine Is Yours

For me, Mine Is Yours was kind of disappointing. The band spent too many songs trying to hit the Alternative Charts. They got away from what they do best. But “Royal Blue” is an example of what they do best. Many of the other songs on the album could have been done by any number of indie/alt rock bands. But “Royal Blue” could only have been done by CWK.

“I guess I’ve always been a bit of a fighter.”

9. “So Tied Up” — LA Divine

The best song off of LA Divine, it actually was improved upon with a second release that included more of the powerful vocals of Bishop Briggs (aptly titled “So Tied Up — moreBishop”). The thumping drums mixed with the jaunty piano drive the song and Nathan Willet’s voice was made to be paired with a strong female vocalist like Briggs. CWK doesn’t collaborate much, but this one is perfect.

8. “Saint John” — Robbers & Cowards

Oh man…what a tune. It’s a song about a black man who killed his sister’s would-be rapist and is now on Death Row. Willet half sings half raps this heartbreaking tale. But, more than the lyrics, the slow, grooving bass coupled with the crashing symbols and the tambourine are the only instruments even used until the piano comes in at the end. It’s a sparse arrangement, telling a tale of a man stuck in a sparse cell.

7. “Miracle Mile” — Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

After the disappointment that was Mine Is Yours, CWK could have gone a number of different directions. They could have tried again with the attempts at mainstream success, they could have gone off the deep-end of artistic expression and strangeness, or they could have come out with “Miracle Mile.” Fortunately, they delivered this shot across the bow as their first single off of Dear Miss Lonelyhearts. This song rescued the band and set them on the course that they are on now. It’s a frenetic, piano-driven song showcasing the best that CWK has to offer.

6. “All This Could Be Yours” — Hold My Home

Following up the success of Dear Miss Lonelyhearts was difficult and I was nervous that they might not do it. Then, they released “All This Could Be Yours” and I realized that they’d finally found the formula for consistency that they’d been seeking in their music.

5. “First” — Hold My Home

To date, this is CWK’s highest charting single, and for good reason. It’s definitely the most mainstream song they’ve ever released, but it’s still very much a CWK song. As part of This Will All Blow Over In Time they released the demo of “First” and I might like that even better. It’s more stripped down, less soaring and anthemic. It’s great.

4. “We Used To Vacation” — Robbers & Cowards

I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard a song where the music and lyrics so perfectly capture a mood. This song tells the story of an alcoholic father coming to grips with the destruction he’s caused to his family.

The lyrics are biting: “I promised to my wife and children/I’d never touch another drink as long as I live/But even then it sounds so soothing/To mix a gin and sink into oblivion.”

The music is, at times, uncomfortable, with the shaker in the background, the dissonant chords being smashed on the piano, and the crashing symbols. Seeing this song performed live is a treat.

3. “Fashionable (Bonus Track)” — Mine Is Yours

For some reason, a couple of my favorite songs on Mine Is Yours are the bonus tracks. It’s hard to describe exactly what I love about this song, but I think it’s great.

2. “Hang Me Up To Dry” — Robbers and Cowards

This is where it all got started for CWK. The song that would take them to late night shows, win them early critical notice, and get their first album off the ground. You’ve definitely heard this one through the years.

1. “Hospital Beds” — Robbers & Cowards

This song takes me back to high school, riding around in my friend’s car. See, she was the one person we knew that was cool enough to go to Austin City Limits and she came back raving about this band. I’d already heard “Hang Me Up To Dry” but when she played “Hospital Beds” for us, I knew that this band was special. This unique, piano-driven song changed the way I listened to music forever. I was fully into this band, and now more than a decade later, I still am. Thanks Brynn, I’m glad you got to go to ACL. I still haven’t made it.