As the return of the infamous “2014 Tumblr Era” has started to make its way back into mainstream media, there are so many fun alternative and indie bands that deserve recognition. Out of all of the different sounds and styles, one band that appeared on the scene was none other than COIN. But who is this groovy little band?
From Nashville With Care
According to Spirit Music Group, COIN is composed of three primary members: Chase Lawerance, Ryan Winnen, and Joe Memmel who met at Belmont University. The Nashville, Tennessee based pop rock band entered the music scene in 2012 with two EPs (Saturdays and 1992), and then were officially signed onto Columbia Records after their single “Run” gained mainstream popularity in 2015. Their success and popularity continued when entering the year 2016 with their popular hit “Talk Too Much” thus launching the band into even more projects and albums in the next following years. Overall, The band has accrued 5 total albums over the last decade that they have been a band. These include COIN (2015), How Will You Know If You Never Try (2017), Dreamland (2020), Rainbow Mixtape (2021), and Uncanny Valley (2022). Talk about almost a decade long resume!
Learning Versus Loving
In an interview with Atwood Magazine, COIN’s frontman Chase Lawrence discussed the overall production of their latest 2022 album Uncanny Valley. He discussed that just like the rest of the world, he had felt a rather overwhelming feeling of stress and confusion. Lawrence discussed that following that burnout with the production of the album’s opening track “Learning” was meant to be “a device that we used to distract ourselves to tell a story from a more objective standpoint”. Throughout the entire album, there are visualizations, sounds and artwork depicting AI generated items that represent close to reality encounters. When visualizing and listening to this album, fans are left with the story of an AI program trying to decipher and understand the overall human experience. It also leaves viewers with the feeling that they are watching someone live through firsts or feelings within their lives pertaining love, longing, and happiness as a whole. Uncanny Valley provides an almost nostalgic and self-reflecting feeling throughout its entire discography.
The Uncanny Valley Tour
As of right now, COIN is on their North American tour with headliners Miloe and BLACKSTARKIDS. With their adorable giant inflatable ladybug in tow, they have played at two bigger festivals so far such as WonderBus (Columbus, Ohio) and Life is Beautiful (Las Vegas, Nevada). As a person lucky enough to attend the September 20th show in Detroit, Michigan, I would definitely say these guys put on one heck of a show alongside their breathtaking AI background. Be sure to check out upcoming dates, merch, other information on their website here– and maybe give them a listen on Spotify as well!