Sweet Coins – The Downsides Of Being Happy
Release Date: 9th February 2024
With The Downsides Of Being Happy landing at the start of February, the journey of a band that has only been releasing music since 2020 has almost come full circle. Five tracks, some previously released and some not, have now seen the light of day as one piece of art and Sweet Coins, hailing from the same town as British legends Enter Shikari, are looking like a force to reckon with that is just simmering away.
Opening track, ‘Happy?’, starts us off with a delightful little melody before launching into a gritty, riffy track that belies their previous style. Fans of modern British punks bands like Out Of Love and Brutalligators are likely to be very comfortable here as some incredibly catchy pop influences are embellished by punky guitars. The combination is a home run from the start with track one doing more than enough to bring in a variety of audiences. ‘Fell For Me’ up next starts on the softer side of things, but by this point no one will really care. Instead, people will be too busy having a little sing and dance. This one is the standout from a strong selection of tracks.
From here things are settled a little more in that more ‘pop’ vibe. Where the opener had its pop moments but was a gritty track, the remaining few tracks feel the opposite way round. ‘Gloom’ brings with it a heavier chorus that will go big live, whereas ‘LOOK AT U’ feels like almost bubblegum pop in comparison. Closing track ‘RCG’ combines all of the above. Delightfully soft initially, a catchy beat that takes it up a notch and delicate vocals see us through to a pop-punk chorus on a track that feels introspective throughout.
In a time where genres are being, finally, ignored, the likes of Sleep Token are thriving. Whilst not in the same area, Sweet Coins will be hoping to capitalise on this. The Downsides Of Being Happy shows that they’ve clearly got the talent to do so.