The return of the Liverpool based band The Coral has been a greatly anticipated one since the hiatus began. Distance Inbetween, their latest musical venture which brings The Coral back by throwing the doors open and taking back their rightful place at the top of charts and on the stages.
The opening track of this album, ‘Connector’ doesn’t hold back; it drenches the listener in those psych riffs that The Coral do so well. “I am here and you are here in me”, echoes the sinister tones from the very first song, and the reverb on the vocals adds to the hypnotic state, with the driving drum beat carrying on into ‘White bird’. This is a track which consumes the listener and continues the hypnotic dream state which cascades over the body from ‘Connector’.
The first single from this album came as ‘Chasing the Tale of a Dream’ and slots in perfectly as the third album track, with the heavy rolling rhythm, and a blues edge to the guitars, showing The Coral’s statement of intent. The title track of the album offers a different tone, which calms the atmosphere and adds a zoned out dream quality to the album. ‘Million Eyes’ and ‘Miss Fortune’ return to the guitar laced melodies and riffs. They roll throughout the tracks and through the entire body whilst you’re listening and they take over every part of you – it becomes almost impossible to not to move or strut.
Adding another layer of depth to the album is ‘It’s You’, with a haunting and mysterious atmosphere cast over the entire track. The softer and even darker vocals emerge through the strange and possibly even threatening calm: “You’re a stranger in the doorway […] waiting on the day when a lie becomes the truth” The lyrics channelling a dark story with no closure, so the possibilities go as far as your own mind will take you.
This quieter and sinister song then leads into ‘Holy Revelation’, a moment of release between ‘It’s You’ and ‘She Runs The River’. It’s strong melodies and driving rhythm echo that of the 70’s Americana classics such as Credence and The Band, which leads perfectly into the tension storm clouds gathering atmosphere of ‘She Runs The River’. The soundtrack element of The Coral’s sound is prominent in these three songs and combined would make an incredible story and film to watch.
The strong blues element as seen on ‘Chasing The Tale of A Dream’ returns again on ‘Fear Machine’, with heavy raw riffs and the psych melody winding it’s way throughout the track. The strong vocals pair perfectly to bring the album to a close in the strongest fashion possible, excluding ‘The End Credits’ which creates the feeling of a broken tape fading out and casts the haunting music as the last thing you hear on the album.
The return of The Coral has been greatly anticipated, warmly welcomed and thankfully a return with strong intent. ‘Distance Inbetween’ delivers everything you could want from the album from the psych melodies to the blues laced guitar riffs to the soundtrack atmospheres. The Coral are back.
Words by Jessica Borden