The Coronas are still on a high following their fourth number one album in a row. Their eighth studio album Thoughts & Observations soared to the top of the Irish album charts one week after its release. And now, ‘Hearts For Eyes’ is the new album track to be featured by the band.
The band was inspired to write ‘Hearts For Eyes’ when iconic songwriter Burt Bacharach died last year. ‘I decided to a borrow couple of his jazzy, lounge chords and write a very honest love song. That feeling of lying beside your other half as they fall asleep and you’re looking at them feeling tragically obsessed with everything about them, and there’s nothing you can do about it, it almost seems unfair. We had initially decided to keep it really simple, very stripped back, with just piano, vocal and a single trumpet, until someone had the idea to try the whole big band vibe on the back half of the song. It was a bit of work to get Conor and Knoxy to play along to my already-recorded ‘out of time’ piano but as soon as that second half of the song started coming together we were all really happy with it and knew it was going to be the closing track on the album.’
Written in Dingle, County Kerry and recorded in Eastcote Studios in London, Thoughts & Observations is a powerful, melodic record which takes an incisive look at life, relationships and art. Although technically a three-piece, with Danny O’Reilly on vocals, piano and guitar, Graham Knox on bass and Conor Egan on drums, the band embraced the talents of their touring supergroup on this album with Lar Kaye (All Tvvins) on guitar, Cian MacSweeney (True Tides) on saxophone and Roisin O on backing vocals. Produced by Grammy award-winning, long-time collaborator, George Murphy (Mumford and Sons, The Specials, Ellie Goulding) Thoughts & Observations is at times anthemic, at times delicate, but always authentic and full of emotion.
The Coronas are heading back to US and Australia before they return to play five sold-out shows in December in the 3Olympia, a firm tradition on Coronas fans’ Christmas calendars. If you’re lucky enough you might catch them in the INEC in Killarney on 28 December; the perfect way to finish off the year.
See The Coronas live:
Wed. 13 Nov Gramercy Theatre, New York
Thurs. 14 Nov Brighton Music Hall, Boston
Thurs. 21 Nov Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne
Fri. 22 Nov Selina’s Sydney
Sat. 23 Nov Magnet House, Perth
12, 13, 14, 15 & 17 Dec 3Olympia, Dublin – *SOLD OUT*
Thurs 19 Dec Ulster Hall, Belfast
Sat. 28 Dec INEC, Killarney Kerry
Fri. 27 June Live At The Marquee, Cork