When Coral Moons take the stage this weekend at one of their biggest performances to date, they can tell the crowd that there’s a cancelled tour to thank for their new album.
No one’s calling the pandemic a “good thing” by any stretch, but it is the ironic reason the Boston band has nine new songs in their pocket instead of a handful of singles. Created amidst the chaos of COVID-19, Coral Moons’ debut LP Fieldcrest arrives today (August 6) ahead of their performance at Levitate Music & Arts Festival in Marshfield on Sunday.
The new record presents a testament to the band’s full-speed-ahead attitude about career musicianship; when their 2020 summer tour was scrapped, they swiftly transitioned to studio mode, locking in sessions with producer Sam Kassirer to guide the endless-summer sound of Fieldcrest.
Had the tour gone as planned last year, they’d be stepping on stage in Marshfield this weekend with far fewer new tunes to share, and perhaps no new album to speak of.
“Once the pandemic hit hard, we recognized it wouldn’t be in our best interest to release a few singles without being able to promote them by touring, in which we had to cancel our 2020 summer tour,” lead singer Carly Kraft explains. “So we took to those new songs that we started writing in the studio and just went with it. We added another session at Great North Sound Society and shortly after that added a third session and before we knew it, we had nine songs recorded.”
Coral Moons’ latest effort follows their 2019 EP Quarter Life Crisis with a broadened approach to their familiar retro-rock. While Fieldcrest reaches back towards vintage tones and ’60s soul, Kassirer’s involvement steeps the record in a Boston-specific style of modern swing, most notably displayed in his prior work with Lake Street Dive.
“Sam was extremely influential in the arrangements, instrumentation and overall direction of this record in so many ways,” Kraft adds. “He creates a space in the studio that encourages us to experiment and try new sounds. I think that’s why we knew we wanted to make this record with him because one of our goals was to push the boundaries sonically and he really brought that to fruition, specifically with synths and drum sounds.”
In adjusting those musical boundaries, Coral Moons’ signature sound swells on Fieldcrest. The record fosters a sense of sunny refuge — a portable place that they can finally take on the road, as they travel from Levitate, to the Bowery Electric, to Aeronaut Allston for their release show this evening (August 6).
Check out Coral Moons’ summer tour dates and enter the world of Fieldcrest below.
***