Driven by a love for the playing process and inspired by the late and great Kurt Cobain, alt-rock songwriter and artist plean cools brings evocative songwriting together with a raw and authentic guitar-rock set-up, and his single Breakthrough is a pure and deeply moving ode to that genuine and thoughtful, poetic approach.
We caught an interview with the artist behind the music, to find out more about the project, the influences underneath, his intentions and ambitions, and plenty more. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Taylor – great to connect with you, loving the music! For those new to your sound, what was it about Kurt Cobain’s music that inspired such passion in you to write your own songs?
The first main characteristic about Kurt’s music that inspired me the most is how unconventional it sounded in comparison to the other rock songs I had heard growing up. It was the uniqueness of his overall sound that inspired me to look up his songs specifically in order to teach myself guitar; I was inspired to sing to chords/note combinations that were not the traditional ones taught in conventional music theory education. In other words, I wanted to sound like myself vs everyone else.
The second main characteristic about kurt’s music that inspired me so much to pursue writing my own songs is that many of his lyrics are introspective, witty and socially aware; thoughtful in other words, even though he is on record as claiming otherwise.
Whether kurt intended or not, his music, at least for me, is both cathartic and emotional therapy. Looking back, this is the main reason I started writing songs; personal therapy and processing of my overwhelming emotions that had been socially stifled from a young age and thus continue to affect me to this day.
What does the name plean cools represent?
From the years of 2021 to 2025 I was cleaning pools to support myself financially. Since I had the freedom of spending all of my time outside with no one around, it was during cleaning pools that I came to find peace with my own voice. I would put my earbuds in and practice singing using downloaded vocal exercises and karaoke videos from YouTube as well as instrumentals of my own songs that I was wanting to work out vocals for.
Singing was the final and most challenging piece in being able to complete recordings of my songs so i needed all that time alone to work on getting comfortable with both hearing and using my own voice. I switched the ‘c’ and the ‘p’ because I read in one of Kurt’s biographies that one of his favorite punk bands, drain bamage, switched the ‘d’ and the ‘b’ and I have grown fond of playing with words in these kinds of ways.
What does the song Breakthrough mean for you, and what was the creative process like from the first spark of an idea to the completed release?
The song Breakthrough has two meanings for me. From the time I had my very first job which was at an amusement park just standing at the bottom of a rollercoaster to ensure the riders were keeping their arms down, I instantly said within myself, “I can not do this for the rest of my life.” The boredom, the uninterest, the pointlessness of these ‘jobs’ is something I must breakthrough from.
The second meaning for me is I must personally breakthrough from the fear, doubt and anxiety of ‘putting my music out there.’ As a transgender person, I have been psychologically blocked and impeded by the overbearingly negative narratives that my society has fed my mind concerning myself my entire life. The internalization of these narratives that I subconsciously came to take on as true concerning myself have caused me to suffer greatly in every area of my existence, including socialization and sharing my true self with others.
“With the recent loss of my grandma, it has become strikingly clear to me that my time here is more limited than I realize and I must, right now, breakthrough the piles of shit that my culture has and continues to dump on me.”
The creative process for breakthrough was supernatural in that the idea for the chorus was sparked about 6 years ago and just flowed; I remember the words effortlessly coming to my mind as I wrote them down, as though they were being given to me from some external source.
The verses were a whole other process in that I struggled so much with them I forgot about the song entirely, canned it and moved on – or so I thought. Flashforward to just a few weeks ago to when I am begrudgingly going to bed in order to go to my dead end job when I would rather be staying up to work on the 5 songs I have in mind for my first EP, which did not include breakthrough, and behold, the chorus to breakthrough suddenly keeps repeating itself in my mind.
I remember it the next morning, and then again, just like the chorus 6 years ago, the verses start flowing to me. This time though, it is happening while I am working and experiencing in real time, the very thing that the song itself is about. I said to myself, “this can’t be coincidence, so this must be the song I am to complete and make my first release,” and so, that is what I did.
Your lyrics are powerful, and you say that these come from decades of working jobs that you don’t care about or enjoy. That’s something many people can relate to. Is there something therapeutic about laying down these thoughts in music and melody that helps you escape from the weight of the rat race?
Absolutely. As the word therapeutic relates to the treatment of dis-eases, expressing my actual lived experiences that have caused me and continue to cause me dis-ease through music and melody in essence transforms the poison into potion, as in emotional alchemy.
And yes, during my engagement with the process of discovering which word and melody combinations come the closest to accurately depicting my perception of whatever it is I have been experiencing, I definitely enjoy a momentary escape of the weighty burdens that being a person who is least in the society in which they live carries with it.
Everything we hear is built from a home studio, you’ve had over 20 years of experience making music on the side – what’s your primary instrument, and is live performance a part of your plans; if so, would that be with a live band?
I would say my primary instrument is the guitar because it is the instrument I have been playing the longest and it is the instrument by which I start writing a new song. Live performance at this point in time is not a part of my plans because all that goes into it is too overwhelming for me. I have considered simply bringing my phone and speakers to play instrumental tracks and perform just the vocals live, but in order for me to really get serious about that, there would need to be enough of an interest in my music from others to inspire me to do so.
As far as a live band, that would be the ideal for sound quality and energy, but again, to attempt to organize that and pay for it is just not something I am prepared for psychologically or financially at this point in time.
You mentioned that you struggled to find a band in the past – there’s a certain freedom in the solo route though, have you found you’re able to more honestly write and perform without the weight of collaboration?
Oh for sure, without question. Being a solo artist is the best path for me because I now know that writing and recording songs for me is an act of therapy. I liked that you used the word honestly because as a solo artist, that is exactly what I am able to do; be 100% honest and being honest is therapeutic for me.
Writing and recording original music for me is not about getting famous, booking shows or getting a record deal, all of which were always the focus when I was playing in bands/with others. There is absolutely no part of me that misses having to be at band practices/live performances at certain days and times or being on edge about when the next ignorant homophobic/transphobic or misogynistic comment is going to be spoken.
“I will never relinquish the freedom and safety of being a solo artist.”
Is there much of a rock scene in Tucson right now, and does live performance excite you or make you nervous?
Honestly, I don’t know. I am an introverted person by nature and I keep to myself. The time I was the drummer for a live rock band turned me off to the whole scene for several different reasons and I have never had a desire to involve myself with it again. And as for live performances, they stress me the f_#% out, because no matter how much I try and prepare, I never feel I am ready enough to bring forth my best by the time the date comes around for the performance, so I would just as well avoid live performance all together.
What’s your guitar of choice for the latest project, and are you a gear fanatic or do you just play what’s available and feel the music regardless?
My guitar of choice for all electric guitar songs is my Kurt Cobain replica Fender Squire Mustang. It’s funny because this is not my favorite guitar I ever played. That was actually a first act guitar I bought on the cheap at a pawn shop. In a fit of irrationality caused by overwhelming emotions, I left that guitar behind along with some other gear of mine in Dallas after yet another failed attempt at an intimate relationship. Leaving behind that guitar is one of my greatest regrets, but what’s done is done.
I am not a gear fanatic by any means and for the most part I am able to play what is available and feel the music regardless. The only reason I care about gear is when it comes to what Kurt played/used. Needless to say, I own three guitar effects pedals he used with plans to purchase a fourth one.
If you could have a drink and chat with Kurt Cobain somehow, for just a few minutes, what would you ask him?
I would ask him for his honest opinion about my songs and if he’s into them. I know I shouldn’t care, but I know that deep down I do and would want to know his perception of my music.
What’s something about you that might surprise people who listen to your music?
I think people would be surprised to know that one of my favorite genres to sing for practice/karaoke purposes are pop love songs/ballads. One of my favorites on my YouTube playlist titled ‘all I wanted to do was sing love songs’ is “my heart will go on” by Céline Dion.
How many more songs can we anticipate in the coming months, and will there be any live clips or videos to accompany them?
I hope to make quality recorded versions of 3 to 5 songs in the coming months. Yes, there will be live clips on Instagram of me practicing different parts of songs and there will be at least one completed AI image generated video for Breakthrough on dailymotion; I also plan to make a video for the first song, ethereal, on my first EP titled four those who herel.
Soundcloud will have a hodgepodge of songs; I intend for it to be more of my sound playground/ditchground where I upload songs I like but don’t want to get mixed/mastered.
At the request of my mom, I am also working on an acoustic release which will have just my vocals and acoustic guitar recorded. This album is titled sad stained window. Those acoustic songs are some of the first I wrote and so now I just need to practice them so i can get them recorded in a way that is satisfactory to me.
Is there anything else we should know?
Please know that in this day in age of never-ending sources of music and a plethora of other digital media available to engage with, I am truly appreciative to anyone who takes the time to engage with anything that I have made available from songs, to clips, to music videos and/or who has taken the time to read this interview you have prepared for me. Thank you.
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Find plean cools on Instagram, X, YouTube, Bandcamp.
