On Their Second Stint and Tenth Album, The Coral Have Made One of the Year's Best Records

The Merseyside rockers explore the nostalgia and downfall of resort towns on their first double album

When a band starts to hit double digits in their album releases, it isn’t often a joyous occasion. Quality usually dwindles, and so do listeners.

The Coral are the latest band to buck this tradition with their tenth and latest effort, Coral Island. A double album in the most traditional sense, Coral Island is fantastic and one of the best records of the year.

Though not necessarily familiar to US audiences, The Coral is an English rock group that has received much acclaim throughout their career in their home country. Formed in the mid-90s by brothers James (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Ian Skelly (drums), along with Paul Duffy (bass), Bill Ryder-Jones, Lee Southall, and later joined by Nick Power (keyboards), the band released their eponymous debut in 2002.

The record would shoot up the UK charts and found the band nominated for the Mercury Prize, the award for best album of the year released by a British or Irish artist. They would make their US debut the following year on Conan O’Brien, which was also my introduction to the band.

Over the next few decades, The Coral would continue to release successful records, with lead guitarist Ryder-Jones leaving the 2008 and rhythm guitarist Southall left in 2015. After a few years hiatus, The Coral returned with Distance Inbetween, their first to feature guitarist Paul Malloy.

The writing process for Coral Island began in 2018, with the album’s recording completed before the pandemic. Delayed and sitting on the shelf during the lockdown, Coral Island is a concept album about a fictional British coastal town filled with the sounds of seagulls, crashing waves, and carnival games.

The record starts with the Skelly brothers’ grandfather, Ian Murrary, narrating an introduction about the town, its piers, and local characters to cement the atmosphere. It’s a fun choice as he pops back up every few songs to continue the story, always sounding like he’s at the back of a damp cave.

“Lover Undiscovered” is a psychedelic pop track about remembering someone you took for granted, while “Change Your Mind” picks up the tempo and harmonies. It’s an absolute earworm that will be stuck in your head. The record also dips into Laurel Canyon with “Mist on the River,” a hazy CSN number, followed by the Doors-esque “Vacancy.”

I’d be hard-pressed to come up with an A-side that I have enjoyed more this year.

Continuing with “My Best Friend,” a track that sounds like Eels at their catchiest, the summery first half of the record is flawless, with “The Game She Plays” also being a highlight. The last track, “Autumn Has Come,” sets the stage for the second half of the album with the character wandering the empty boardwalk.

Tack piano and bass drive “Golden Age” before the shuffle of “Faceless Angel” and “Take Me Back to the Summertime,” two songs that are the band’s attempt at pre-Beatles British pop, a theme for a lot of the second half of the record. Though The Coral looked to Small Faces and The Kinks for inspiration on the album, it never sounds dated as they combine the ingredients with Britpop to make something completely fresh.

Coral Island is the culmination of all of the band’s work to this point, and for a band from the Wirral Peninsula, across the river from Liverpool, the glory and downfall of seaside resort towns is a perfect match. Though quintessentially British in the subject, the album is relatable for anyone who has spent offseason time in the dreariness of Atlantic City or Asbury Park.

I’ll be sure to pick this one up on vinyl as it caters to the format and know Coral Island will be placed highly on my year-end list.

Coral Island is available now on Run On Records.