There are very few places in New York where the sunshine radiates after dark and fake plants bloom as if from a nursing home sunroom. Last Monday night, Gramercy Theatre was one of them. Coast Modern, a Los Angeles-based duo, graced the stage in grandpa-esque garb accompanied by bird noises, polyester palm trees, and good vibes.
Coast Modern
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As the second set of the evening in SiriusXM’s Advanced Placement Tour, Coast Moderns’ Luke Atlas and Coleman Trapp swooned the disjointed crowd instantly. Bearded bros drinking 40s and blue-haired teenagers in shorts too short for April slinked closer to the stage inviting the seated crowd to join the mellow mass below. A gaggle of girls pressed against the barrier and screamed, “Hold my hand!” Trapp joked, “Right now?” while Atlas shut them down with a power chord and a quick response, “After this song.”
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Although the duo appears as just two dudes who wear chucks, skate, and spend too much time lounging in hammocks their energy and slightly off key anthems are endearing. It’s the simple things such as someone else combing your hair or getting your act together when your partner comes to town that makes Coast Modern’s synth-pop jams so relatable. “We skinny dipping in your living room, crying and laughing/ Ha ha ha ha, he he he he,” sings Trapp. “Just comb my hair ’cause I get scared when I don’t know what will happen to me/ What happened to me?” With reggae-tinged backbeats and plucky synths galore crowd favorites like “Hollow Life” and “Guru” become real earworms.
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Coast Modern
After playing at SXSW in 2016 they toured with BORNS, The Wombats and The Temper Trap. They’ve dropped singles consistently sense but aim to deliver an EP this spring.
Article: Megan Callahan
Photos: Nicholas Fallon
