Review: Dreamland - COIN

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By Tommy Delone



Ever since their self-titled debut, stadium-dwelling alt-rockers have been enticing casual listeners in with their fast paced, new-wave tinged sound. Their music has always been intoxicating, like a peppier Neon Trees, or an inoffensive version of The Strokes. Their third studio album, Dreamland, has been almost three years in the making, and frankly, it’s been worth the wait. COIN barrels down a new direction, something that’s synth-heavy and cleanly produced, but stays close to the roots that helped make them noticeable. 


Obviously, this isn’t going to be an experimental music masterpiece; COIN have no problem making music that aims for wide-ranging appeal. This is clearly the case on Dreamland. As a new bassist is worked into the mold, COIN starts reaching out to their 80s new-wave influences, and grabs the perfect amount of seasoning for their music. They often trade their rapid guitar riffs for smoother synths and glitzy production. However, COIN keeps the rhythmic percussion from their previous work, making this album a simple treat to sing and dance to in the car with your friends.  “Into My Arms,” the first track on the album, is a great example of this, and as the first track, it does a great job of establishing the tone of the record - something that doesn’t change so much as it thrives within itself. 


Dreamland does have a tendency to become repetitive, even for a band in this style. “Simple Romance” repeats the same two lines for nearly 80% of its runtime, and despite its wonderful bassline, it can’t save the song from itself. “Cemetery” is simple and stupid, it’s almost cringeworthy. The song is overproduced on every possible layer, with a silly, poorly executed message about how a rich guy had no friends due to chasing wealth.  On top of the utter foolishness of the song, the Auto-Tuned, corny melody singing “And he is the richest man in cemetery” is anything but desirable. But other than that, most of the songs here deliver the goods, and can be appreciated for what they are: fun, sugary blasts of no-frills rock. 

Overall, the direction that COIN takes with Dreamland is often beneficial, as the band encompasses their inner new-wave and synth-pop without getting lost in the glitz. Great bass lines, catchy songwriting, and a smooth synth seem to be the instrumental palette that will define the band from here on out, which should not be of any detriment. Dreamland is infectious as hell, and with spring coming up fast, this album is loaded with great songs to blast while you roll down the windows in the old ‘92 Camry. Only time will tell if the band can continue to hone their songwriting craft to make an album with a little more weight, a little more insight, and a little more craft.

BOPS: “Into My Arms,” “Crash My Car,” “Never Change,” “I Want It All,” “Nobody’s Baby”

DUDS: “Simple Romance,” “Dreamland Sequence,” “Cemetery” x 9000

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