Kodaline – Coming Up For Air
- Written by Joe Watson Jnr
It’s been just over a year and a half since Kodaline blew up in the mainstream with tracks like ‘High Hopes’ and ‘Love Like This’ from their debut album In a Perfect World. They became notable for Steve Garrigan’s perfectly-pitched radio voice and soaring melodies delivered over arrangements that seemed to vary all the more in style as the album drew on.
Their latest offering Coming Up For Air is more of the same, meaning, different from track to track. Anyone who has been anticipating this album since then would have already caught a listen to the lead single ‘Honest’ and would have been rubbing their hands at another killer hook from the Irish lads.
Although there are the clear differences stylistically during phases of the album, second track ‘The One’ does follow on from the lead, with big choruses building from an opening ballad setting. As much of these differences or lack of exist, oddly, things are rather more balanced in terms of song quality this time, which in turn, gives it a more consistent flow.
‘Human Again’ is the first to sway from course with its intro which could have come from a Switchfoot track before sounding like The Killers midway through. The album’s highlight track is bestowed with ‘Unclear’ and primarily because of its simplicity. Tribal vocals complete with the drum rhythm, which we got a glimpse of on ‘All I Want’, but now on a grander scale. With its inclusion of a choir, that same voice bares soul and produces a spacious delivery which demands attention.
“It feels so good, it feels so right” probably sums up the happy-go-lucky folk track ‘Coming Alive’ and it isn’t as unsuspecting as any fan will know. Whereas, on ‘Lost’ you could swear that you were listening to Muse for a chorus or two but the song is as diverse as the album so waivers there and back and reveals another of the album’s gems.
The album is a mix of singer-songwriter piano driven tracks, slow burners building up to big hooks and choruses and some all-out fun. ‘Play The Game’ is hedged between two of the piano driven tracks and is one of the funkier tracks. You could imagine it being the hit that OneRepublic or Maroon 5 wish they would have penned before they both careered off course from their earlier, better albums.
Although at moments it’s lyrically quite trite, the songwriting is a tad stronger and instrumentally a lot better. There are potentially a few big singles on Coming Up For Air that will see this band through to another album or maybe even already cement their arrival as one of the best piano and guitar pop bands around. Kodaline will want to take a deep breathe whilst up for air as they look ready to embark upon another big year.