Album Review: Anxiety/History by Coral Springs

Coral Springs are a five piece pop punk band from the Netherlands. In July they released a brand new double a side named Anxiety/History on the mighty Umlaut Records. Being a lover of European pop punk bands such as The Apers or The 20belows I was keen to check out Coral Springs.

Anxiety is the first track up. I must admit I knew nothing about Coral Springs when I clicked play other that what I had read on their Facebook page and I must admit I was a little surprised when I learned that Coral Springs are a female fronted band. Front woman Jo has a spectacular voice and helps set Coral Springs apart from so many other New Found Glory influenced pop punk bands. Anxiety begins with some fantastic guitar work that really caught my ear before the vocals kick in. I'll say it again - spectacular! One guess for what the song is about? Yup, you guessed it - the song is about struggling to cope with anxiety. Lyrically the song really hit's the nail on the head. Anyone who has suffered from any level of anxiety in the past will relate to the lyrics "This Isn't Getting Any Better, But You're Not Able To Explain."

The second track History doesn't start with quite as much of a bang as Anxiety. The song falls more so on the poppy side of pop punk , with lead singer Jo's voice really shining through again. It's just fantastic to hear a voice as good as this in a punk band. I really like the sound of the vocal harmonies the men in the band give, the two different styles blend together magnificently. History is about learning from past mistakes and using the lessons learned to grow as a person. Musically I really enjoyed the track. The stop/start nature of the lead guitar really reminded me of the early 2000's Drive Thru pop punk which I loved. That sound just makes me think of summer trips to the beach and always puts a smile on my face.

If like me this is your first time listening to Coral Springs it feels like an excellent place to start. Playing a style of pop punk that I loved but managing to put a fresh spin on it. Definitely a band to keep an eye on during the current boom in the genres popularity.

Stream and download Anxiety/History here: https://coralsprings.bandcamp.com/album/history-anxiety

 Buy a physical copy here: http://umlautrecords.bigcartel.com/product/coral-springs-history-anxiety-single-9-7-16

Like Coral Springs here: https://www.facebook.com/Coralspringsband/