Coach Party - “Weird Me Out”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…The Regrettes, Sleater Kinney, Shannon & The Clams

English alt-rock band Coach Party shared their third EP Nothing Is Real last year and it finds them going bigger than ever before, thick riffs and hooks leading the charge across five single-ready tracks. Influences from 80s new wave to 90s punk-pop weave into Coach Party’s music, but they’re keen to balance in a way that rarely sounds like throwbacks to past alt-rock waves. Instead, Coach Party’s music sounds urgent on Nothing Is Real, eschewing nonchalance for arena-pointing tightness. While there’s some serious moods on Nothing Is Real, it’s worth noting how fun Coach Party sounds here. A band enjoying itself will make the audience do the same. (Kevin McStravick) 

2022 Review: Moving between riot grrrl punk and dense dream pop, Coach Party’s two EPs and recent single “FLAG (Feel Like A Girl)” are a powerful collection of punk-pop, washed-out melodies bursting with hooky guitar riffs. While steeped in 90s-era hits, Coach Party add a hint of shoegaze layers and some understated bedroom rock that sand down their catchy songwriting in a forward-facing way. The consistency of their songwriting stands out with all of their early tracks having the tight and capturing qualities of a radio single, well crafted power pop bursting with synth and guitars from the emerging UK rock band.