aaamusic | On 27, May 2012

Over the past number of years The Coronas have cemented their status as Ireland’s most successful independent band. They have enjoyed sustained success so far, with 3 well received albums and single after single topping the Irish charts. Now, it seems that these boys are eager to take their music across the pond into the larger UK market in an attempt to emulate their triumphs so far.
You could easily mistake The Coronas for a Californian 4 piece with their summery sounding, indie-pop tunes that will occasionally feature a surf-rock element- this has become part of their signature sound. Similar to The Kooks, The Coronas have mastered that catchy song formula that has a chorus to rival any pop song in the charts and yet contain just enough guitar sounds to allow them to maintain their indie image.
“Addicted to Progress” is the first single to be taken from this album- an upbeat track that serves as a perfect introduction to the typical “Coronas” sound. Lead singer Danny O’ Reilly touches on falsetto notes in the melody that most females would struggle to hit before the track descends to a catchy- indie pop chorus. This track could be a strong enough to crack the UK market with. Title track “Closer to You” is a slightly slower effort- a love song with touching lyrics and a soothing, easy listenable melody.
Closer to You features quite a few ballads, showing that The Coronas are not afraid to slow things down a bit and let their songs speak for themselves. Tracks like “Write to Me” and “Different Ending” showcase smooth vocals and great song structures over anything else. While “My God” has an interesting folk sound to it that I haven’t heard in a Coronas track before which is an interesting twist and shows that the band are not opposed to experimenting outside of their usual boundaries.
Overall, this album features some undeniably well written songs, there could be an overload of slow numbers but no doubt The Coronas will infiltrate their UK shows with past hits to liven the mood a bit.

★★★★★

Orna Lyons