Bristol-born indie pop band, Coasts, signed their first record deal in 2014 with Capitol Records in the US. Since then, single ‘Oceans’ has received international recognition on a variety of media platforms, whilst ‘Rush of Blood’ gained praise as Zane Lowe’s ‘hottest record’.
Now, three years later, the band are already onto the release of their second album This Life, vol.1. Following on from the success of their self-titled debut album it’s fair to say their fans expected big things and this new album has certainly delivered.
Tracks like ‘Heart Starts Beating’ has continued their well-known sound of a band fuelled on its pumped-up pop anthems. Their first album displayed elements of a band teetering on the metaphorical edge of genre categories: between rock and pop, and ultimately being defined as the in-between pop-rock. However, This Life, vol.1 appears to land itself further toward the pop genre. Tracks such as ‘Come on Over’ and ‘Let me Love you’ exhibit more of an electric sound with a layered beat over the vocals. ‘Born to Die’ has a more subdued feeling when listening to the album in chronology, similar to the sound of track ‘Wash Away’ on the first album. Following on from this it is fair to then say that the majority of This Life, Vol.1 feels much less rocky with an obvious lack of rhythmic drums that persisted through their first album, Coasts.
Now, midway through their UK based tour, it will be interesting to see how their pop-rock elements convey through the album when played live. Will a live performance interject more rock over their new intended pop songs? Let the band decide on stage.
Listen to single ‘Coasts’ below:
