Killjoy by Coach Party album review by Ryan Meyer for Northern Transmissions

Chess Club Records

8

Killjoy

Coach Party

Words by Ryam Meyer

British guitar pop group Coach Party releases their debut album KILLJOY Friday, and it’s jam- packed with tight, fun tunes.

Coach Party adopt a sound that brings to mind a quote from the members of Australian act Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever that went something like, “We’re the poppiest punk band and the most punk-sounding pop band.” Granted, Coach Party lets loose a little more in ragers like “Parasite” and “Micro Aggression” but the band can also write some really incredible pop-rock songs. See “Be That Girl,” “All Of My Friends” and “Always Been You.”

Only two songs stretch beyond three minutes over the course of KILLJOY’s 27-some minutes and 10 songs. There’s still plenty of movements within these brief songs though, like the breakdown before the climax of album opener “What’s The Point In Life,” driven by a dancy kick
drum before launching back into the careening chorus.

Coach Party’s main influence seems to be the guitar itself, but it’s not impossible to trace their sound through significant indie acts. There’s the Strokesian melancholic swagger of highlight “All Of My Friends,” which features delightfully simple dual guitar interplay and a subject matter not unfamiliar to fans of indie rock: feeling like you’re falling behind as others move through their lives at different speeds. “All of my friends/ are doing it right/ Getting a job and staying in line/ Oh what a life/ You live so comfortably/ I want to be like you.”

Then there’s the heartfelt indie pop Snail Mail have been so effective in delivering in “Be That Girl,” another standout track. The song is about a fractured relationship that the narrator, voiced by singer Jess Eastwood, seems to be having a hard time letting go of despite acknowledging things have changed.

KILLJOY is an important record for fans of modern music that carries the guitar-pop torch. Think Alvvays, Snail Mail, Rolling Blackouts and the like. For now at least, there can’t be enough of that sound and Coach Party’s debut record is a solid addition. It’s fun to listen to and features plenty of solid tunes to keep coming back to.