This Tuesday I decided to pause on the Netflix binging for a few minutes and talk to Chase Lawrence, lead singer of Nashville’s quartet, COIN! We spoke about things like COIN’s new album that was just released one month ago, the bands summer anthems, the writing process and how human contact inspires Chase. Juicy stuff right? Oh & yes! That is his real name, if you were wondering. Is it just me or does it sound like it could be the name of the heartthrob in a romantic comedy? You had me at hello, Chase Lawrence!
Go get your hands on COIN’s self-titled debut album and make sure to check out COIN at Irving Plaza on July 22nd with Neon Trees. I know I’ll be there!!
P&W: So, I know phone interviews can be a bit awkward sometimes, but I promise it’ll be worth it.
Chase: Sounds good! I’ve done phone interviews before so it’s totally fine!
P&W: First things first, how would you describe this albums sound and style to someone who’s never heard of COIN before? What’s your sales pitch?
Chase: Ooooo, I’m not a salesman! Oh shoot! Ok I guess it’s like that pressure on your eyes when you close them looking at the sun. It kind of hurts a little bit, but it’s totally worth it because it wakes you up. It’s invigorating and makes your eyes shine!
P&W: Right… you’re not a salesman. That was an awesome pitch! How’s the reaction been so far from everyone?
Chase: Really great! It’s under a month old and our current fans really love it and we’ve gotten new fans everyday. So, it’s been really cool to see new and old fans open up. It’s awesome to know people like it and to be able to share what we’ve been working on for the past year.
P&W: I keep playing the Whiskey Session you did with us when you performed “Run” over and over again! I feel like it’s the perfect summer car road trip song! What are some of your go to summer anthems?
Chase: That’s awesome!
Umm.. ok so these are songs that the band plays a lot when it’s sunny out…
“Young Folks” – Peter Bjorn and John
“Don’t Hold Back” – Born Cages
“Brand New Start” – Little Joy
“Long Distance Call” – Phoenix
P&W: What do you personally think makes a good album?
Chase: Really well thought out and transitions between songs. I love recalling lyrics and referencing other songs. A good album isn’t just a collection of songs. They all should fit together like a puzzle or a like a piece of art would, where every song compliments the last one. I know that’s tough because not every song can be a hit, but dynamic is good word for what a full length album should be.
P&W: When you’re writing songs do you find yourself writing about overall feelings or specific moments? What do you find yourself writing songs more about?
Chase: I find my songs more and more about my everyday experiences and actually about my life. When we started this band I was so removed from the writing process. I wrote about things I would see in movies or read in textbooks, since I was in college…stuff like that. Now that I’m out of school, reading less and I don’t watch tv a lot since we’re on the road so much, I’m finding myself so inspired by everything around me and everyday life situations. Which is interesting since I’m pretty anti-sentimental, but I’m finding myself really inspired by human contact now.
P&W: Speaking of human contact…Are you mentally prepared for lollapalooza? I feel like that’s a huge deal! I’d be nervous as hell.
Chase: We’ve played like smaller festivals, but we’ve never played a proper festival. So, I’d say I’m prepared for it mentally, but maybe not physically ready for the exhaustion. We are excited and ready to be a part of it! Especially since we’ll be able to hang out and see a lot of bands we look up to and are influenced by.
P&W: What are some things you’re looking forward to accomplishing in the next few years, like a 5 year plan? Is that a thing?
Chase: Oh! I LOVE THIS! These are things the band talks about like every single day. So, we love bands like Fleetwood Mac and Walk The Moon who have these successful first records that obviously aren’t totally overly exposed. They are just great first records that established a fan base and got them a caring group of fans that are basically friends at that point and would die for the music. We want to do that and make sure it’s not just overnight fame. We realize how important it is to take it one step at a time. So, in five years we want to keep doing what we’ve been doing and keep recreating ourselves. We’ve learned that the music industry is like a pendulum. We’ve seen our friends and artists that we love come in so fast and then literally are just gone. We want to write songs that are here to stay longer than we’re even alive. I just went from 5 years to eternity, so there ya go!
P&W: Woah! We’re getting real deep here! We have time for one more question and if I do say so myself, it’s a pretty awesome question. I hope you’re ready….. Would you rather have pancakes for breakfast every morning, but never get to have whiskey or drink whiskey with dinner every night, but never get to have pancakes?
Chase: Good question! I love pancakes, so obviously I pick pancakes. “Pancakes for life!”
Article: Kayla Klein
