THE CORONAS SHARE NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT LOVE IS’ FEAT. GABRIELLE APLIN + NEW ALBUM ‘THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS’ + DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 27 + TOURING AUSTRALIA THIS NOVEMBER
A stirring new single out today from Dublin’s finest The Coronas, That’s Exactly What Love Is blends the trio’s knack for poignancy and indie pop and rock in charming fashion, with the group’s friend and collaborator Gabrielle Aplin also featuring on this latest release. The second single taken from The Coronas’ upcoming eighth studio album, Thoughts & Observations due out on Friday September 27, That’s Exactly What Love Is also arrives today accompanied by a brand new music video, with the track also destined to feature in the trio’s upcoming Australian live shows this November.
Opening with the beautifully wistful vocals of frontman Danny O’Reilly, serenely crooning “I’ll start with sorry / And please believe me / Kills me to see you cry”, That’s Exactly What Love Is burgeons as Alpin’s crystalline vocals fuse with O’Reilly into a heart-rending duet, echoing at times the sublime collaboration from Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush on the track Don’t Give Up. Driven by the group’s trademark pensive pop and mature songwriting with a modern twist, That’s Exactly What Love Is reflects its vulnerable lyricism through astutely simplistic instrumentation and warm tones, and the end result is ultimately one of hope rather than misery; a fact which carries across the broader upcoming album Thoughts & Observations. “Thematically, the album deals with love, loss and growing older,” shares The Coronas. “It’s possibly us fully embracing our man-band status. After seven albums we’re probably a little more cynical now than we were when we started! In saying that there’s still an optimistic feel to this album that The Coronas albums tend to have.”
Filmed in Glastonbury with longtime videographer and The Coronas friend Johnny Stewart (Hozier, Kodaline, Gavin James), the accompanying music video for That’s Exactly What Love Is effortlessly mirrors the track’s moving thematics, with the clip, filmed at a picturesque field near Glastonbury Tor. “That’s Exactly What Love Is was the first song I wrote after our last album came out,” vocalist Danny O’Reilly reveals. “I wrote it as a conversation between two people going through a breakup, and as soon as I wrote the female part, I had Gabrielle in mind to sing it. In fact, I bumped into her at a festival a week after I wrote it. I immediately told her about the song and, over a year later, it was amazing to have her in studio bringing her own character to the song. She’s so talented and professional she blew us away when she came to London to record her part.”
Teaming up with longtime collaborator and Grammy Award winner George Murphy (Mumford and Sons, The Specials, Ellie Goulding), The Coronas inject a gamut of captivating moods and emotions throughout Thoughts & Observations, with their powerful and melodic eighth studio outing ultimately taking an incisive look at life, relationships and art. Alongside the talent and chemistry at the core of each member, with O’Reilly on vocals, piano and guitar, Graham Knox on bass, and Conor Egan on drums, Thoughts & Observations also embraces the talents of The Coronas’ touring supergroup, boasting Lar Kaye (All Tvvins) on guitar, Cian MacSweeney (True Tides) on saxophone, and Roisin O on backing vocals. And balancing moments of delicacy with soaring anthems, Thoughts & Observations captures The Coronas unbridled authenticity and passion, with the album originating not long after 2022’s Time Stopped had released into the world. “We’re so excited to be sharing new music,” says the band. “To be honest we didn’t really take a break after the last one, as soon as the touring and promotion of Time Stopped slowed down, we were already working on Thoughts & Observations”
In the ever-evolving landscape of the modern music industry, The Coronas have continued to independently thrive without sacrificing their creative vision along the way. A multi-platinum group who can claim supporting Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park, playing for President Biden, and a burgeoning global fanbase, The Coronas’ last three albums also went straight to #1 in the Irish Charts, with recent sold out tours in their wake spanning North America and Australia further showcasing the trio’s successful and ever-growing legacy. Renowned for their magnetic live shows, having also been previously voted as the #1 Live Act of the Year by Hot Press, The Coronas have been headlining their own shows and festivals in Ireland for almost 15 years, with their regular Christmas performances at The Olympia Theatre in Dublin becoming the stuff of legend. And set to return to Australia this November following their acclaimed down under run late last year, The Coronas will arrive armed with their trademark magic as well as their hotly-anticipated album Thoughts & Observations.
“Every album we make is with a view to improving our live show,” explains O’Reilly. “We still feel like we have something to say.”
That’s Exactly What Love Is is out today, Friday July 5.
Thoughts & Observations is due out on Friday September 27.
THE CORONAS – UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
THURS 21 NOV | CROXTON BANDROOM, MELBOURNE
Tickets available from https://thecroxton.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/9b2e8104-0fc7-4f60-bf75-65ee6f8aa049
FRI 22 NOV | SELINA’S, SYDNEY
Tickets available from https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/the-coronas/168917?skin=SelinasVenue
SAT 23 NOV | MAGNET HOUSE, PERTH
Tickets available from https://tickets.393murray.com.au/outlet/event/2f8576da-c523-4c8e-87dc-e0dcc38b3511
Stream: THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT LOVE IS
CLOE WILDER SHARES ETHEREAL NEW SINGLE ‘AFTERGLOW’ EP ‘I SPENT MY SUMMER ON THE ROAD’ SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 19
A stunning mix of romance and nostalgia, the new single Afterglow from American singer-songwriter Cloe Wilder is a shimmering modern folk gem, marking an ethereal step closer to the release of Wilder’s impending new EP I Spent My Summer on the Road, set for release on Friday April 19.
A folksy ballad soaked in acoustic guitar and dreamy melodics, Afterglow also features glossy vocals from both Wilder and her long-time collaborator NICOLOSI, with the track reminiscent of Bon Iver and Lana Del Rey caught in a gauzy trance. Simultaneously introspective and wistful with celestial overtones, Afterglow ultimately evolved from a melancholic narrative, as Wilder elaborates, “Escaping from locations is a big theme in my songs, but I also love the concept of leaving someone behind. Afterglow sort of morphed into this story of two people growing apart in the wintertime; the understanding that the house has gone cold and there’s no way to imagine what that could feel like until it happens. I absolutely love that visual.”
Working alongside NICOLOSI for both Afterglow and its overarching EP, I Spent My Summer on the Road, Wilder also teamed up with Grammy Award-nominated engineer Adam Grover (Maggie Lindemann, Zach Bryan, Dizzee Rascal) and videographer/photographer Jesse DeFlorio (Matt Maeson, Imagine Dragons, American Authors) to bring her creative visions to life, with the accompanying lyric video for Afterglow seamlessly reflecting its subject matter, as Wilder offers, “I wanted to reference the essence of Afterglow. It’s a little bit of a nostalgic nod to classic folk with the super 8 look, but I feel that Sam and I wanted to give it a post-modern twist.”
Following on from her debut 2021 EP Teenage Lullabies, Wilder spreads her sonic wings on her upcoming EP, with I Spent My Summer on the Road traversing everything from stripped-back bedroom pop (Little White Pills), to coming-of-age odes (Fake ID), lush indie swoon (Take It In), folk-hued warmth (Afterglow) and enraptured calm (Five Years). And while still laden with youthful exuberance following the release a few years ago of her debut EP at the age of 14, I Spent My Summer on the Road is a stirring and disarming experience, with Wilder once again finding magic alongside NICOLOSI and an array of influences, as Wilder explains, “I started writing with Sam when I was 14 and working on my first EP. I honestly didn’t let him go after. Lana Del Rey is my ultimate reference for everything. Bon Iver, Matt Maeson, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes, The Lumineers, Florence & The Machine, and so many more came into play. This EP is a testament to the last three years of my life. It’s my coming-of-age scrapbook through the lens of being 17 and confused. In the course of processing that evolution, I started to accept it and I had to write about it.”
Emerging as a teenager armed with earthy melodies, wistful narratives and gossamer vocals, Cloe Wilder’s innate ability to evoke warm and familiar melodies with her witticism and heartfelt lyricism aligns her comfortably as a Floridian young Taylor Swift, with sonic poise well beyond her young years. Dabbling in the bedroom pop realms of Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridges as well as folk and modern sentimentality, Wilder is as much a confidante as she is a conduit for evocative and memorable music. With her previous single Call Me If You Need Me currently in command of over 1 million individual streams, Wilder also has an array of live performances in her wake, including Breaking Sound in Los Angeles, and supports with EMELINE, Spencer Sutherland, Steinza and is currently on the road with Charlotte Sands. And in 2024, her journey continues with the impending release of her sophomore EP, I Spent My Summer on the Road.
“I put out my first EP out when I was 14, so I’m beyond excited for this new introduction,” Wilder concludes. “These songs are really important to me, and I’ve loved being able to grow with them.”
Afterglow is out today, Friday March 29.
I Spent My Summer on the Road is due out on Friday April 19.
THE CORONAS SHARE NEW SINGLE ‘ONE LAST TIME’ + ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM THE BEST OF THE EARLY DAYS FOR NOV 24 RELEASE + TOURING AUSTRALIA NATIONALLY IN NOVEMBER
Dublin’s finest, The Coronas, return today armed with a new single; a previously unheard song One Last Time, which was recorded in 2009 when the band were just getting going. With sweeping strings, acoustic guitar and the magnetic vocal stylings of Danny O’Reilly, One Last Time also heralds the upcoming release of The Best Of The Early Days; an album that celebrates the early back catalogue of The Coronas, due out November 24, alongside the band’s return down under the very same month. Lined up to charm Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne alongside special guest Roison O, both the upcoming Coronas album and tour are guaranteed to continue the trio’s reputation as one of the most consistent and impressive acts on the scene.
One Last Time fittingly closes out The Coronas The Best Of The Early Days on an emotional and delectably lush note. Inspired by the likes of The National, Gang Of Youths, Radiohead, Oasis, Coldplay, The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac; One Last Time is an acoustic wonderland that simultaneously uplifts and breaks your heart. With The Coronas detailing deep emotions in this previously unreleased track, as the band elaborates; “We’re delighted to be releasing this album. It’s something that we’ve been planning for a while. It’s a collection of songs from our first three albums. When we remembered One Last Time, an unreleased song from this time that we always loved, it seemed right to add it to the album as a bonus single. It’s a breakup song that describes the tricky time just after a relationship ends, where you meet up and there’s so much emotion and feelings still there. And spending that time together.”
A multi-platinum group who can claim supporting Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park, playing for President Biden, and making chart history as the only independent Irish band to claim three consecutive chart-topping albums, The Coronas have also previously been voted as the #1 Live Act of the Year by Hot Press. The Coronas are certainly not ones to rest on their laurels, consistently evolving their melancholic pop, singalong-worthy anthems and cinematic indie rock creations; whilst thriving against the odds even despite the unfortunately named virus that momentarily halted the world. Off the back of the pandemic years and releasing their 2022 album, Time Stopped, The Coronas embarked on their biggest world tour to date, christening their seventh full length album – selling out venues in London, New York and Vancouver, as well as a sold out performance at Sydney’s Metro Theatre.
Now set to return to Australia this November to perform at some of the country’s most iconic venues, also armed with some fresh magic with the impending November release of The Best Of The Early Days, there’s plenty to look forward to as 2023 draws to a close – both for The Coronas and fans alike, as the band concludes; “Our last show in Sydney was pretty special. To sell out a venue the size of the Metro Theatre, with all its history, was an amazing moment for us. In the past we’ve tended to just be there for short visits but it’s great that this time we’ll have a few days off in Sydney where we can enjoy a bit of downtime! We always try to put on an energetic live show. Expect big choruses, sing-along moments and fun times!”
One Last Time is out today, Friday October 13.
The Best Of The Early Days is due out November 24.
THE CORONAS – UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
FRI 10 NOV | THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE
Tickets available from moshtix.com.au
SAT 11 NOV | THE ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY
Tickets available from ticketek.com.au
FRI 17 NOV | BADLANDS, PERTH
Tickets available from oztix.com.au
SAT 18 NOV | NORTHCOTE THEATRE, MELBOURNE
Tickets available from moshtix.com.au