In September, COIN released their latest and arguably greatest album, I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore, via 10k Projects.
The gents have embarked on the corresponding I’m Not Afraid of Tour Anymore, and they recently performed live at The Anthem in DC! Micaela Cerball was there to photograph the show.
This article is adapted from a press release.
In a press release, COIN frontman Chase Lawrence gave a bit of insight into the new album.
“For the longest time, the working title of this album was The Kiss — the intention being a conceptual snapshot of honesty and vulnerability. About three weeks into recording the album, our producer’s daughter (6) came to visit us at the studio. While there, she recorded a little background vocal on a song. After finishing singing, she took her headphones off and yelled, ‘I’M NOT AFRAID OF MUSIC ANYMORE!’ We thought to ourselves…what an odd thing to say,” Chase said.
“Two months after leaving the studio, I found myself working on mixes and feeling underwhelmed by the picture of ourselves we’d captured. While hitting tennis balls against a wall in January, I listened to the whole album top to bottom for the first time ever. I cried my eyes out on the court. I had been looking at this music (and my life) with such unforgiving eyes. Paralyzed by this abstract thought of what it could be while completely ignoring the beauty of what it actually IS. I’m not afraid of music anymore because we are not afraid of where we are anymore.”
On Oct. 23, COIN embraced “not being afraid of music anymore” by rocking through nine tracks of the new album throughout a 24-song setlist. For example, COIN played new single “Along for the Ride” at the midpoint of the show.
Watch the official music video for “Along for the Ride” by COIN on YouTube:
“Along For The Ride” followed on the heels of previous album singles “Slack,” “Take It Or Leave It,” and “Strawberry Jam,” all produced by Gabe Simon (Dua Lipa, Noah Kahan, Lana Del Rey) and all performed live at The Anthem.
I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore shows COIN at their most refined and elevated, embracing vulnerability and continuing to redefine their own unique brand of alt-pop. Through balancing the bright and the bittersweet, electric and intimate, the new album is one that record fans new and old can resonate with. After thinking they were out of stories to tell, songs to shape, I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore suggests that COIN have unlocked not a new chapter in their existence but an entire new volume, with more depth than they’ve ever shared before.
Here are some photos of COIN performing at The Anthem on Oct. 23, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Micaela Cerball.
