Hilary Cousins Explores Science, Time, and Identity on the Indie-Pop Journey of “Fragments”
- Stefani M.C. Janelli
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Hilary Cousins is an LA-based singer-songwriter crafting a rich blend of folk, indie rock, and Americana, pairing cinematic soundscapes with lyrics that feel both intimate and expansive. A New England native with roots in poetry and storytelling, his songs explore love, loss, hope, and the restless search for meaning, carried by catchy melodies and forward-moving rhythms. Cousins’ wide-ranging creative background, as a filmmaker, writer, audio engineer, and producer, deeply informs his music, giving each release a layered, visual quality that sets it apart. After years performing across New England, the Hudson Valley, and New York City, where he shared stages with artists like Patty Larkin and Ritchie Havens, he’s now a fixture in the Southern California scene, steadily growing a global audience with more than 75,000 streams in the past year.
Hilary Cousins’ new single “Fragments” is an indie-leaning pop-rock meditation that feels both cerebral and deeply human, opening with dramatic synths that immediately set a searching, almost cosmic tone.
Built on glitchy motifs, lo-fi loops, and a fun, constantly moving bass line, the track unfolds with driving rhythms that carry some of Cousins’ strongest songwriting to date. His smooth, assured vocals glide over the arrangement, grounding big ideas in an accessible, catchy chorus that pulls you in before you realize how much ground the song covers in its tight 3:37 runtime.
Lyrically, “Fragments” is inspired by Cousins’ immersion in medieval mysticism, particularly those writings that speculated on the end of time, juxtaposed with his fascination with modern science, evolution, and the Big Bang.
That tension was sharpened while exploring the Mojave Desert, where the landscape itself reveals time in pieces: dry lake beds that were once oceans, sunbaked formations that were once snowcapped peaks. Cousins uses these images as a lens to examine contrasting ways of understanding existence, threading references to pivotal moments in evolution, including “Lucy,” whose fragmented remains became one of humanity’s oldest known ancestors.
"'I didn't intend to actually explore the long arc of time and such far-reaching themes when I began writing "Fragments." It just came out that way. In retrospect, I'm very pleased with how many ideas and expansive images are packed into this little three minute rock song. It's like a lightning bolt and a long cosmic journey, at the same time." - Hilary Cousins
At its core, the song wrestles with identity and wholeness in an uncertain world. Lines like “I want to be whole, but I’m in parts / What is my body, what is my soul?” give “Fragments” an existential weight, turning scientific curiosity into an emotional question we all recognize. By the time Cousins leaves us with the unresolved “Who am I?”, the song has done exactly what it sets out to do—tell a complete, compelling story from scattered pieces, inviting listeners to sit with the mystery rather than rush toward easy answers.
LONG STORY SHORT: Blending science, mysticism, and indie-pop textures, Hilary Cousins’ “Fragments” turns big questions about existence and identity into a catchy, thoughtfully layered three-minute journey.
Stream "Fragments" below!
Credits:
Produced by: Hilary Cousins
Engineered by: Tony Ungaro, Lewis McCambridge, Ben O’Neill
Mixed by: Mark Needham & Ben O’Neill
Mastered by: Steve Fallone, Sterling Sound
Hilary Cousins: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar & Electric Guitars, Programming
Chris Ranney: Keyboards, Synths
Paul “Binzer” Brennan: Drums
Tony Ungaro: Bass
Mark Louis Miller: Electric Guitar