ALBUM REVIEW: A Beautiful World To Lose – Corella
A staple of the Manchester rock scene, CORELLA have spent the last decade cementing their sound and style. Taking influence from rock, punk, alternative and indie acts surrounding them, they’ve formed their own identity from electrified riffs, punchy bass lines, and meaningful emotional vocals courtesy of frontman Joel Smith. Now, they’re releasing their sophomore effort, this is A Beautiful World To Lose.
Creating a record of heartbreak, despair and a lack of inner-strength, A Beautiful World To Lose packages an emotional slump in a catchy and hard-to-ignore presentation. For example, What’s The Use is a song about questioning the outcome of hard work and determination, literally asking “what’s the use” of doing so much when the world gives back so little. And in a way of kicking when down, the following track Lost A Friend is about seeing a beautiful world and all the sunshine and smiles when going through personal downfalls and feeling less than optimistic about everything. “It’s not that easy to take it in when you’ve lost a friend,” Smith sings during the high-energy low-mood chorus.
CORELLA have become masters of taking the sadness of life and printing it in their music. A near stereotype for Manchester-born music acts, they are keeping it fresh, modern, and most importantly, they’re making it their own. To take one of the more fun-sounding samples from the record, Thunder Strike, this is a band at their most versatile throughout A Beautiful World To Lose. Taking influences from the likes of indie-rock blenders such as FOALS, it shakes up from verse to chorus, from intro to outro. However, while this may be disjointed in the wrong hands, this is perfectly pieced in a way that it makes sense with the story of the song, the progression of the composed elements, and how vocals and instruments work as a unified force to convey all tone and execute all artistic goals. Their abilities to change their sound to fit the feeling of a track is further cemented in the closing act of the record, Note To Self. This is a more chilled out and steady piece, one that brings more attention to the vocals and the power conveyed within the words alone. Layering vocalised filler with chanting harmonies and straight-shot lines, it carries everything to a rightly timed and professionally convicted end.
A Beautiful World To Lose may only be the second full-length record from the north-western rockers, but this is by no means a sophomore slump. CORELLA are industry pros at this point, climbing the ladder since their 2016 debut and only getting higher and higher. It goes to show that being true and honest, baring all and giving it a fitting soundtrack is the secret to success in their field. A beautiful world will never be lost while CORELLA keeps the memories alive.
Rating: 8/10
A Beautiful World To Lose is out now via FLG.
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