The trio, based in Nashville, Tennessee consists of Chase Lawrence, Ryan Winnen, and Joe Memmel, and after the release of their 2022 record, Uncanny Valley, felt seemingly uninspired.
COIN is back, and they’re not afraid of themselves anymore. The Nashville-based trio, comprised of Chase Lawrence, Ryan Winnen, and Joe Memmel, felt uninspired after releasing their 2022 record, Uncanny Valley. As Lawrence expressed in an Instagram post about two months ago, “it felt like we were ready to quit a little bit, like six months ago at least I was.” He went on to describe the disconnection they felt from the music and from each other.
Their fifth studio album, I’m Not Afraid Of Music Anymore, serves as the band’s testament to their commitment to authenticity and vulnerability, confessing and facing their fears up front and sharing them publicly with the world.
In a world where everything competes for our time and attention, the album begins with “It’s Hard To Care About Everything,” discussing precisely that concept. The first track features an easy chorus backed by a choir, ultimately highlighting being overwhelmed by choice as life is boiled down to whom and what we choose to surround ourselves with. “Take It Or Leave It” debuted earlier this year in Florida at the Gasparilla Music Festival. The song pleads for a clean break rather than a romance that ends slowly and painfully. “Back of mind / You’re better off with / One love, two mouths / A missed call and a pretty boyfriend” cements that the narrator sees their partner with someone else already. In an interesting end, we see a hint of self reflection from the pre chorus saying “You’re better off alone” to the outro realizing “I’m better off alone”.
Including a backing electric guitar reminiscent of early 2000s rock (The Strokes, to be specific), “Asking For A Friend” is a bittersweet play on the phrase where the band turns it into unrequited love. They call back to their own song “I Don’t Wanna Dance”, in the new song’s lyrics “And I don’t wanna let you down, down”, referencing their past, “I let you down / I know it / I’ll let you down over and over”. The references continue into “Slack”, dubbed as “the most COIN song ever”. This song was the final single released before the album, including more callbacks to longtime favorites “Crash My Car” and “Talk Too Much”. Lead singer Chase Lawerence said, “Slack is a love letter to our band, tying the journey together with a loose knot. Coin has been stretched in every direction, but we embrace every shape and size, even the ones that no longer fit right into place.” “Along For The Ride” feels just like that, and refers to a relationship that may just be pulled from a surface level script, nothing deeper than an act.
Addressing Hollywood, media, and fame, “Problem” immediately reminded me of 5 Seconds Of Summer’s “No Shame”, both songs including topics of what happens when you are recognized by the public eye. Referencing Malibu 1992 and Getting Older, the lyrics are cynical and mesh well with the album’s rockiest song on the album yet, “Ah, is this getting easier / Or am I just getting older? / My eyes are just getting sleepier / I’m just getting sober”. We take a complete 180 to “Blueberry Smoothie”, another song title in an increasing trend of COIN song titles that includes fruit (Cutie, and later in the album, Strawberry Jam). Upon first listen, the song can be a metaphor for someone sticking around, their impression lasting. However it has been debunked that the song is actually more literal than anything else.
“222” had me picturing William Miller from Almost Famous, as he fell for Penny Lane, with lyrics “And she said, “Every time you fall in love / You wanna meet the band / Oh honey, every time I leave / I hope you understand, understand”. Considered an “angel number”, “222 can be a confirmation about those current choices, or it can alert you that there are important partnerships coming in the near future.” The piano twinkles sprinkled in after the first chorus and again after lines in the verses gives the soft song a unique touch, really leaning into something dreamlike. The “Growing Song” leads someone to believe that it’s about growing apart from another person while it is actually about shedding an older version of yourself. It includes an instrumental break at the 2 minute mark including strings, fingerpicking, and flighty backing vocals, reminiscent of George Daniels’ production with The 1975’s interlude songs. “Bloodtype” follows, and has a distinctly country feel, like a song sung around a bonfire. Their use of an electric guitar and backing synths keeps this from being too twangy. “Olivia” is an easy listen, using G and D chord variations and again refers to another one of the band’s songs “Nobody’s