ALBUM REVIEW: If it wasn’t me, I would’ve called it funny – Snow Coats

Making their full-length debut on Alcopop! Records, Netherlands indie outfit SNOW COATS are blowing a cold wind through the European scene with the ten-track adventure If it wasn’t me, I would’ve called it funny. On only their second LP ever, they’ve made steps – or leaps – forward in a matter of years.

With the release of the 2020 EP Pool Girl, the band gave the world a taste of what they were about to offer and now it’s time to devour the entire ten-course meal. Near the beginning is one of the record’s first cuts Anyway. It’s a dance-worthy tune which doesn’t disrupt the mind or distract the senses too much; easy-listening, in a way. The indie influences are present in full force, leading the way through. It moves on smoothly to the acoustic guitar-led Dinosaur, the band’s more recent single. With catchy strums of the strings and a chorus that has the sticky potential to be chanted back in a live setting, it’s a winning tune. A strange ballad to a certain sci-fi classic movie, and to love and desire, some may label it quirky, but it works more along the lines of relatable. “I don’t know how to explain but I want to“, the lyrics read. If that’s not a nod to using movies and popular media to express one’s emotions, then there is no head.

On the later half of the album, the group stick to their swaying melodies and sing-along choruses. There is no reason to fix something that’s nowhere near broke. Later tracks such as Since We Met continue playing on those universally recognisable themes and feelings. Indie rock as a genre suits the anecdotal tracks better than any other, and it adds to an already colourful storytelling style. This stands even when the pace slows down, as it does with the following track Too Good. It’s a sign of good storytelling, as one needs more than just words, more than a tale in mind. They need timing, rhythm, creativity; for example, harmonising throughout the bridge of this very track works so well.

As indie rock continues to flow from corner to corner of the continent, it’s showing that SNOW COATS are ready to go. Two albums down, they have shown that they’ve only grown stronger and more confident in their musical identity. There is no falling down; there is only rising above and beyond, and they better be ready. Coats on, guitars tuned, wires plugged.

Rating: 8/10

If it wasn’t me, I would’ve called it funny is out now via Alcopop! Records.

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