Review by Shannon Shumaker
Dreamland, the new album from COIN, is a vibrant patchwork of different sounds, moods, emotions and places. Recorded while the band was out on the road, the diversity on the album is a direct reflection of writing and recording songs in green rooms, buses, bedrooms and airplanes, but surprisingly, it doesn’t feel meandering or choppy. Although it doesn’t sit still and is constantly changing, the fourteen songs that make up the album feel very cohesive both sonically and emotionally, despite how different from one another they may be, and that’s what makes it so great.
Kicking off the album are the first two songs, which go hand-in-hand with one another; “Into My Arms” and “I Want It All.” Both songs sound very similar, but where “Into My Arms” is driven by a catchy chorus and the memorable line, “Get out of my head and into my arms,” bass and guitar take over in “I Want It All”. Massive singles like “Crash My Car” and “Cemetery” might be on the same level sing-along wise, but emotionally, they couldn’t be more different. This contrast can be found many times throughout the album, and it’s one of its strongest aspects.
There really isn’t a moment to take a breather on Dreamland until the halfway point, which means that just when you start to think that the album is banger after banger, COIN will catch you by surprise with a handful of powerful, emotional tracks like “Valentine” and the bittersweet “Never Change.” The band definitely saves the best for last, though, with the massive and cinematic “Lately Ill” feeling like the album’s climax. From there, each spectacular song – “Babe Ruth”, “Heaven Hearted” and “Let It All Out (10:05)” – flow easily into one another, making for a perfect grand finale.
The entirety of Dreamland plays like an adventure with a very clear beginning middle and end. By the time that the album comes to an end, you’ll feel as if you’ve been on a journey – one that begins with the dreamy opener, “Into My Arms,” taking you through upbeat and warm tracks like “Simple Romance” and “Crash My Car” before winding into more emotionally driven songs like “Never Change” and “Lately Ill” before coming to a cinematic and epic conclusion with “Let It All Out (10:05).” Perfectly balanced and full of songs that will easily get stuck in your head, Dreamland is easily some of COIN’s best material to-date.
LISTEN TO: “Never Change” or “Lately Ill”
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