by Kelly Johnson
Coaches are a 5-piece shoegazy-ish pop rock band originally from Boston but currently based out of Brooklyn. They released the Isn’t Anything-era My Bloody Valentine-indebted single “Amisarewaswere” in 2014 and are gearing up for their newest release, the Shush EP on Disposable America.
“That Not This,” the lead off-track from Shush, doesn’t mess around long before dishing out the ROCK. And the rock is huge. After two seconds of light synth, the song erupts into a Buzz Bin-worthy guitar riff reminiscent of fellow New Englanders Speedy Ortiz. The strong melody and vocal delivery recall Burning Airlines-era J. Robbins. But it’s the 180 turns in the song that bring to mind another (unfortunately forgotten) New England band, Pie (exhibit a). Like those song-structure tricksters, Coaches applies the art of bait-and-switch throughout “That Not This.” After some great dynamic shifts, around the 2:30 mark the band pulls the whole rug out from under the song. Suddenly it’s a galloping art thrash to the end, until Coaches lumbers the last few chords to a halt. The track particularly benefits from an awesome production that really accents the highs and lows.
If “That Not This” is any indication, Coaches have already made a big jump out of the shadow of their Creation Records-worshipping past. It’s promising when a band starts to find its own trajectory this early, and “That Not This” will please any fan of unpredictable guitar riff-rock.
Shush comes out December 11, 2015 on Disposable America. If you live in the Boston area, the band is throwing a release show/benefit show for Toys for Tots endearingly titled "Noise For Toys" on December 12 at Make Out Point in Allston with Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Kindling, and Gold Muse.
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