Album Review

The Coronas – Closer To You

• 22nd May 2012

Dubliners The Coronas are big in Ireland. With the release of Closer To You they hope to make it big over here too – and their pop based indie sound with its big hooks and catchy rhythms should lead them to do exactly that. Their songs are emotional and tend towards lovesick ballads, but they do it well and manage to avoid too many clichés.

The four piece band is fronted by lead singer Danny O’Reilly, who comes from a musical family. He is the son of Mary Black, something of a legend in Irish folk circles, and so it is no shock that he has a fine voice and can hit the high notes at will. The album was produced by Tony Hoffer (Air, Beck, The Kooks, Belle and Sebastian) and has a lovely clean sound throughout.

Lead single Addicted To Progress, already a fan favourite and a big hit in Ireland, is a strong track. Mixing acoustic guitar and a keyboard melody to start, it develops into a fine pop song with strong vocals and a nice guitar solo. It’s a catchy three minute song made for the radio.

The slower Write To Me is an excellent ballad that would make a good single too. It’s passionate and appealing, and while only some more excellent guitar work stops it from coming too close to boy band territory, it works well.

The album is book ended between two songs that show a slightly harder side to The Coronas. The opening track, What You Think You Know, has a great intro that really rocks and features some nice bluesy guitar from Dave McPhillips. And the closer, Make It Happen, has some lovely big guitar riffs before it quietens as the vocals come in. There is only one verse though and the album is finished off nicely with an extended instrumental.

Most of the other tracks are decent too Blind Will Lead The Blind is slower, with a pop sound behind a prominent drum beat from Conor Egan. The electronic melody comes through strongly at times too. It’s different and it sounds great. Dreaming
Again is a good love song with a more prominent Irish lilt on O’Reilly’s vocals. The song has a second part later in the album, Dreaming Again pt 2 (wait for you). This one is a more straightforward song, but sung with gusto.

There is only one track that doesn’t really work in this collection. My God has an Irish folk sound and overtly religious lyrics that become a little preachy. It’s not a sound The Coronas are particularly good at, and perhaps they should simply stick to their obvious strengths.

While Closer To You is the first that most British audiences will have heard of The Coronas it is actually the band’s third full length release. The experience they have undoubtedly gained stands them in good stead here, and they have what should be a big selling album on their hands. And I hear they are a very good live band too.