Reverb-soaked guitars create an opaque air to complement shoegaze-influenced squeals and snare-heavy percussion.

There is a refreshingly direct element to The Coast. Yes, their pop songs are radio-friendly and geared for overly emotional teenagers, but there is an unavoidable charm to frontman Ben Spurrʼs hopelessly sincere, quivering vocal lines. Reverb-soaked guitars create an opaque air to complement shoegaze-influenced six-string squeals and snare-heavy percussion. There is an undeniable sense of the epic in each of the albumʼs songs; the tracks are exceptionally layered, a mess of hazy instrumentation that culminates in luscious pop grandeur. With that sense of dense songwriting, The Coast dips their pop into various subgenres: the aforementioned shoegaze comes through on tracks like “Ceremony Guns”, whereas “Tightrope” is pure pop rock. Tokyo Police Club is written all over the infectious, single-worthy “Nueva York”, while “The Moon Is Dead” emphasizes the noodling, near-math rock guitar effects of groups like British Sea Power. Wrapped together, the album is surprisingly versatile, both mastering a sense of stark emptiness and overpowering apexes. Expatriate received resounding praise from national Canadian magazines, universally lauded for its versatility, energy and strong songwriting.

Additional Details

Label: Aporia Records

Genre: Pop/Rock

Run Time: 40:11 mins

Release Date: 04/01/08

UPC: 829750002924