“Hot Glue”: Sticking to After Six

If you’re new to Cornell and looking for more on-campus bands to listen to, you may have heard of After Six, a band made of Cornell undergraduate students. After Six, who opened for Slope Day 2023, mixes jazz, pop, R&B and neo-soul to adhere not only to each member’s own taste in music, but also to make their art very open to anyone and everyone despite what your favorite music genre might be. They recently released a new single called “Hot Glue,” a song that won’t just have you turning your volume up to dance around the room while your roommate is out, but might also have you thinking about that certain someone that makes your heart pound every time you see them. Compared to their other single, “A6 Funk,” which plays more with a hip-hop, street-style sound, “Hot Glue” brings along a jazzy bass line, a brass section spotlight and riffs to die for. 

The song opens with a slow piano introduction and some beautiful riffs, which then lead to bits of bass, drum and harmonization from vocalists Noëlle Romero ’24, Summer Seward ’25, and Austin Burgett ’25. The piano keeps a primary melodic motif, this being the descending three notes we hear repeated in the verse.

Big Red’s Next Icon: After Six

Cornell recently held its annual Big Red Icon to determine which student band will get to play on Slope Day as an opener. I spoke with Josh Sokol, the saxophonist of this year’s winning band After Six, about their musical style and what makes them unique. 

The Sun: How would you describe the type of music that After Six makes? Josh Sokol: I feel like we have a diverse style. We also change what we’re going for depending on the event, but we keep it centered around what After Six is. A mix between neo soul, funk and hip hop.