#all of them are utter vibes but i physically cannot bring myself to listen to them too much

[birdo-is-here]

i need to make a list of songs i DO like but I physically cannot bring myself to listening to them too much or else I might just spontaneously combust from the lyrics

[electricdazemag]

COIN: How Will You Know If You Never Try

by Katherine Stallard

    How Will You Know If You Never Try, the sophomore album of Nashville formed indie pop band COIN, dropped everywhere for eager ears on April 21st. Whether you’re like me, and were waiting months for the release of this album, or if you’re a cultured music listener looking for new jams, boy are you in for a treat. COIN delivers an album with hit after hit, each consisting of thoughtful, heavy-hearted, telling lyrics expertly paired with bopping melodies and captivating vocals that somehow wind up creating the danciest songs you’ve ever heard in your life. With both unforgettable hooks and melodies, and intriguing and meaningful lyrics in the album, they intertwine to create remarkably good songs that seem to make even the greyest days a vivid blue.

    COIN originally formed in 2013 and is made up of Chase Lawrence, the front man and synth player, Joe Memmel on guitar, drummer Ryan Winnen, and bassist Zachary Dyke. COIN has released one other official album before How Will You Know If You Never Try, self titled ‘COIN’  featuring their first hit song ‘Run’. COIN also has some lesser known works including the COIN EP, 1992 EP, and Saturdays EP.

    Although the band claimed that the new album would be dropping “sooner than you think” several weeks before their release, they teased the masterpiece of an album that is How Will You Know If You Never Try (hwykiynt for short) for months, releasing five official singles, each better than the rest, prompting lots of well deserved attention.

     The first released single ��Talk Too Much’ was released a little less than a year ago on May 6th 2016. From then forward, the track skyrocketed to popularity on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation, the station it premiered on, as well as on alternative stations all over the nation. Talk Too Much’s unique and fresh sound garnered lots of new people to the COIN fan base, becoming the soundtrack to summers everywhere, including my own. Talk Too Much in many ways paved the way for COIN’s new and well deserved popularity in alternative music, showing listeners they were one to watch.

    Several months following the release of Talk Too Much, after opening for Bad Suns on their Disappear Here tour, COIN released their second single off of hwykiynt, ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’ on February 17th of that same year. Afterwards, the last three singles of the album were released in a relatively short span of time, starting with ‘Malibu 1992’, then ‘Feeling’ and ending with ‘Don’t Cry, 2020’. The day before the album release when the anticipation of hwykiynt was at it’s peak height, COIN had one last trick up their sleeves, as they premiered song ‘Boyfriend’ on Alt Nation.

    How Will You Know If You Never Try is a 11 track piece of art (plus a special hidden track), that is revolutionizing the indie alt sound, track by track. Every track evokes the need to break out in spontaneous dance and each track is an intricate piece of music curated by a passionate group of people with a knack for creating heart-pounding, incredible music. The combination of deliciously infectious melodies, brilliant lyrics, and smooth and dreamy vocals, makes this album one you simply cannot ignore.

    ‘Don’t Cry, 2020’, the first track on the album and the fifth single off of hwykiynt begins with a gentle, almost wind chime like sound, that builds into strong instrumentals accompanied by the dreamy lead vocals by Lawrence. Synths echo and swirl in the background, paving the way for the appearance of the guitar and drums. Once the drums come in, the whole song dynamic goes up to another level as the chorus belts. Synths and vocals twinkle alongside the beating drums, singing “Years go by whether you want them to” with a profound intensity as the track builds up to the last chorus.‘Don’t Cry, 2020’ carries an air of inspiration and optimism, despite the lyrics telling the story of a girl fearing for the future and old age on her birthday. As the lyrics sing “don’t cry” and “it’s all gonna be alright” it’s hard to not feel reassured and at peace come what may.

    ‘Talk Too Much’, the first single and breakout hit of the album, is a certified banger. Like all the tracks, ‘Talk Too Much’ is catchy, fun, and danceable no doubt, but the lyric and instrumental combo of this song make it easy to see why it surpassed all expectations. From second one, the track is bound to have any listener on their feet. The hook does exactly what a hook should do, and hooks the audience as soon as it starts. Beginning with a compelling drum beat and guitar strumming pair that leads into the first verse, the song only gets better from there. The lyrics in this song are especially exquisite, strawing away for the literal and singing things like “tightrope across the table” and using beautifully descriptive sentences like “red velvet under pressure” that create sharp and rich imagery. With the way Talk Too Much is composed, it will always be the song to scream at the top of your lungs, with no hesitation and the utmost enthusiasm.

    For me, ‘Hannah’ was one of those songs that I felt in my bones the second I heard it. Taking the fifth spot on the album and having some of the saddest lyrics of all the songs, ‘Hannah’ somehow manages to be one of the most uplifting. The track has an air of complete euphony; each chord plucked by a guitar, each synth chosen, and each key that is sung, flowing perfectly into one another creating a fun but almost celestial, heavenly sound. The vocals enrapture the listener, transporting the mind to somewhere out of body, as the physical body can’t help but succumb to the groovy beats and dance.

   Track six on hwykiynt,  ‘Are We Alone?’,  is a track that in this tech savvy generation most everybody can relate to. The song describes an encounter in which although two people are alone, they seem to be apart due to a screen that is preventing them from connecting. The track is upbeat, with cohesive and seamless rhythms, including snap noises that add an intriguing extra element to the already strong melodies. The vocals hit every note with practiced precision, singing each utterance of “are we alone”, in a mellifluous way that glides over the curves of the note’s highs and lows. In the last stanza, one of those parts I love for some indescribable reason, the vocals become slightly muted singing “It’s a screen, it’s a life, it’s you, it’s me, it’s everything”, earnestly before building back up and finishing the song out.

   Following ‘Are We Alone?’, ‘Heart Eyes’, makes the listener feel exactly like the title sounds it would. Heart Eyes drips of sincerity and sweetness with mellow beats and a feel good chorus. The synths twang alongside the steady drum beat, making for the tropical and easy listening sound, and the dreaminess of the vocals make this song a favorite of many. The song plays out to a delicate piano that brings the listener back to earth.

    The last track of the album, “Malibu 1992”, is a re-vamp of a track initially titled ‘Malibu’ on the 1992 EP. This song is the slowest song on the album and carries a different vibe from the rest of the album. Lasting 5 minutes and 41 seconds, this bittersweet and sad love song conjures up teary eyes in me from the mere thought of it. The honeyed vocals and striking lyrics tell a story full of sentiment and heartache, and wash over the listener in waves of feeling. The falsetto “oh’s” help convey the emotion of the song, adding to the feel of the narrative. As the song comes to a close, it never misses a beat instrumentally, each sound beautiful, conveying every emotion the song brings to life. Finally uttering the song’s namesake singing “But 20 years it seems you’ve forgotten, Malibu ‘92”, I sink into myself and after holding my breath the entire song, finally exhale.

    How Will You Know If You Never Try is an undeniably good album. With well-constructed songs that you can both party and cry too, it’s hard to pick a favorite. Each song written with danceable melodies, ingenious lyrics and a high level of precision, it is clear to see that COIN is a force to be reckoned with. This album is bound to be one for the ages that you will remember for years to come. How Will You Know If You Never Try is quickly becoming a staple in my everyday life, and I know that I’ll be playing this record all summer long, and for the rest of time.

How Will You Know If You Never Try is out now and is available to stream, purchase on COIN’s website, pick up in stores, or listen on iTunes.

Listen to the album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4TJUrdwbeKC9qcouPlBuLe !

Be sure to catch COIN live on their first headlining tour for hwykiynt this spring and summer! I promise, you won’t regret it. Dates are here: http://www.thisiscoin.com/tour/