After trading his longtime Los Angeles base for the Napa Valley, Mondo Cozmo, the nom de plume of Josh Ostrander, was ready for a fresh start. Little did he know that his new beginning would be propelled by something that was long in his rearview mirror, which in turn was the genesis of Sweet Forever, the fifth Mondo Cozmo album. 

Unexpectedly, in the spring of 2025, the Amazon show Reacher went deep into the Mondo Cozmo catalog and used his 2016 song “Shine” as the closing song of the season. “Shine” caught fire, instantly topping several charts, and served as a lightning bolt to the singer-songwriter’s soul. After seeing the overwhelmingly positive response, Ostrander had a “light-bulb moment” and saw what people wanted and expected of him as an artist. And he got to work.

Spurred by that, he went on a writing hot streak. The first to emerge from this period was “Sweet Forever,” which Ostrander wrote in honor of his late dog, Cozmo. The heartfelt tune, which was written on piano, set the lyrical tone for what was to come. 

“I wanted to write about loss without letting the song feel weighed down by it, something uplifting, almost like a church hymn,” he says of the song. 

In just two weeks, Ostrander wrote 13 additional songs that reflected the raw emotion of dealing with life and loss in his personal life. Most of those comprise Sweet Forever, which is set for release on November 20, 2026, and serves as a return to his rockin’ roots.

As he painstakingly went through what he’d written in that span, a period where he says he was firing on all cylinders, Ostrander called upon his pal, Butch Vig, for advice. He sent songs to the legendary producer and Garbage drummer, who in turn returned with notes on what he’d heard.

“At one point, he called to encourage me to push myself,” Ostrander recalls. “He doesn’t normally call; we usually just text. He was stern and direct. I think he wanted me to hear it in his voice. I took this as a sign that I was onto something. It really encouraged me.”

As the songs came together, Ostrander called upon his buddies from his native Philadelphia to join him as he worked out the songs. These weren’t just pals from the neighborhood: they were members of The Cobbs, the major-label-signed outfit that taught a teenage Ostrander what it meant to be in a band. The creative energy between the musicians was as if time hadn’t passed. Over the span of a few weeks in Ostrander’s Napa hideout, they knocked out the songs that would make up the album, capturing a raw, powerful rock sound. 

“These dudes have a way of playing that is so singular and special,” he says. They play with heart rather than technique. It’s all about feel for them.”

Unlike previous Mondo Cozmo albums, where Ostrander handled all the vocals, Sweet Forever features an impressive roster of guests. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James sings backup on “White Rose,” while Langhorne Slim features on “Alabama.” The former track is a somber reflection on a tough moment in one’s life, a universal theme that many can relate to, including its guest vocalist.

“Jim’s manager heard the song and sent it to him,” Ostrander says of the feature’s origins. “He loved it, sent his vocal in. He's like, ‘Do whatever you want with it. I'm honored to sing on it,’ and I couldn't believe that.”

The heart and soul of Sweet Forever’s meaning is what separates Mondo Cozmo from his peers. This masterclass in songwriting can’t be discounted. Perhaps one of the finest moments in the Mondo Cozmo discography, the album is Ostrander’s full-circle moment. By digging deep with resilient lyrics in the face of adversity and rolling back the years with raw sound that touches a nerve, Ostrander isn’t just keeping the spirit of Mondo Cozmo alive; he’s producing the best work of his career.