The Coral - Distance Inbetween
The boys from the Wirral have returned after a six year hiatus to release their 6th studio album ‘Distance Inbetween’. Previous efforts ‘Butterfly House’ and ‘Roots & Echoes’, whilst good efforts, were not great so, is ‘Distance Inbetween’ worth the wait?
A return of oddness to their production to supplement their god-given talent of crafting pop songs is back and, as a result, is their edge. They stray into pastures new as well, experimenting with prog rock styles inside three and four-minute tracks.
Leading the charge are the tracks ‘Connector’, ‘Chasing The Tail Of A Dream’, and ‘Million Eyes’. It’s a tough call as to whether the production or James Skelly’s vocals add the more sinister tones to ‘Connector’. In four minutes, The Coral have opened their album with dark psychedelia, haunting prog, and quality melodies.
Shining through the mesh of darkness is ‘Miss Fortune’. For any band starting out today, this is a fine example of what years of dedication can bring. It is simultaneously fresh and familiar, weird and accessible. This is how to create an identity and cement it into pop culture.
Not content with just reaffirming themselves to the world, The Coral have set about introducing key aspects of prog into their pop songs. ‘Beyond The Sun’ uses spellbinding organs, allowing this track to float away into the ether. Meanwhile, ‘Distance Inbetween’ pays homage to Dave Gilmour’s archetypal Floyd sound with a slow build and superb solo release.
This is a fine return from the Wirral outfit. To remain pop-friendly and ‘out there’ is a credit to their talent and work ethic. This is laudable in an era where most play it safe as the money is scarce to be seen.