Cotton Mather, an American power pop band, was formed in Austin, Texas, by frontman and primary songwriter Robert Harrison in the early 1990s. They named themselves after the Puritan minister Cotton Mather, reflecting a certain intellectual curiosity and complexity in their song crafting. The band emerged on the music scene with a blend of Beatlesque pop and sharp-witted songwriting, which quickly garnered them critical acclaim, particularly with the release of their 1997 album "Kontiki." Despite its lo-fi production, the album became a cult classic among power pop aficionados, celebrated for its clever melodic turns and layered arrangements.

Despite fluctuating line-ups and periods of hiatus, Cotton Mather has sustained an enduring presence in the indie rock landscape. Their 1994 release, "Cotton Is King," and the subsequent albums "The Big Picture" and "Hotel Baltimore" further developed their sound, carving out a niche for their cerebral and tuneful rock. After a significant break, the band returned with a reissue of "Kontiki (Deluxe Edition)" in 2012, re-igniting interest in their work. Following this re-emergence, they released a string of new material, including "Death of the Cool" in 2016, which represents a clear evolution of the band's style and an ambitious project called "Songs from the I Ching," where they intended to write and record 64 songs corresponding to the 64 hexagrams of the ancient Chinese I Ching text. Cotton Mather's ongoing creativity and resilience make them a unique gem in the landscape of American indie music.