ROLLOCKIN’ back in from their fastness on The Wirral, the inestimable The Coral, who’ve brought us so much off-kilter psych-pop joy in our lonely rooms since buccaneering into our world what? Jeez, nearly 21 years ago now – have just announced that they’re back, back, with studio album number ten, Coral Island, which will be landing in our heads at the end of April; by way of which they bring forth from their booty “Faceless Angel”, a first jewel from the locker. You can watch the video below.
Yep, it’s The Coral we know and love, from that brilliantly haunted jukebox guitar, muted and beaming through from some lost station out there on the AM bands, Ian’s shuffling drums taking us deeper for a Lynchian trip down the M53 at night, refinery towers glowing off to the left, bound furthur, psychedelic pop angels blissin’ out in the backseat.
It’s their first new music since 2018, and this tune says: we’re back with a bang. And it’s just the first twitch of the heavy velvet drape they’ll be cutting in half come April – it’s gonna be a double album. Twice the 33rpm fun.
The video accompanying “Faceless Angel” takes us for a blurry, hypnagogic reel in three-colours – blood, ash and milk – through the landscape of Coral Island: a place of cackling clowns, reclaimed figurines looming from the shadows, spectres emerging and melting as we career past.
We’re promised it’s just the first of a series of audio-visual portraits of and inspired by the island’s inhabitants. This instalment was conceived and created by artist Edwin Burdis, and was filmed ‘on’ Coral Island itself: a sprawling diorama purpose-built inside a deserted Chinese restaurant in Cardiff. He pays subtle homage to Dave McKean, who oversaw the cover art for DC Comics’ Hellblazer series.
Coral Island was recorded in a sense of barely-controlled chaos at Liverpool’s Parr Street Studios by the classic line-up of James Skelly, Ian Skelly, Nick Power, Paul Duffy and Paul Molloy – plus a special guest.
There’ll be plenty of tickets for the ghost train ride into that offshore underworld, where Duane Eddy is always on the jukie and a warm, shadowy welcome is always assured. Stay tuned: ideally between stations on your pocket transistor.
The Coral’s Coral Island will be released by Run On Records in association with Modern Sky UK on April 30th.
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