Indie Light

Coastal Fire Dept are an grungy alt-rock band from the Vale Parish of Guernsey. They are made up of Bobby on Lead Guitar, Ollie on Rhythm Guitar/Vocals, Saad on Bass and Gareth on Drums. Today I’ll be reviewing their EP ‘Radio’ which they created to ‘capture the raw essence of their music, while also making it more radio friendly’. Coastal Fire Dept released their EP on December 4th 2020.

‘Fight the Scene’ kicks off with a heavier, ambient sound, a nice fusion of instruments that build subtly in tempo, as they merge with the strong, engaging vocals. I really liked the energy of this one, it starts off the EP on an extremely high note. I liked the blend of percussion and strings, they support one another really well, for a solidly, complex instrumental melody, and support the vocals incredibly well. 

‘Coco’ has a different intro, whispering, with a rawer guitar intro, but it nonetheless is a brilliant track, it hammers forward, with some truly impressive instrumental sections that much like the previous track, serve to support and boost the vocals. Speaking which, the vocals have gone up another notch this time round, harder and less restrained. I really loved the vocal harmonies on the screaming in particular. This one just has a powerful forward momentum. 

‘The Message’ slows things down a touch, showing a range to their musical style, it also shows a softer, more melodic, and acoustic note to their voices. Even when the harder instrumentals kick it, it still captures a softer vibe, and their voices are so powerful, and the synergy between the band is so prominent that even the more low key vocals are not overpowered by heavy drums and strings.

‘Same as You’ opens with a tight baseline that keeps going, but flows into a busy mix of their main instruments. It’s a nice central track, not as heavy as some of the others on this EP but also a little harder off the bat, than the previous track. It shows one thing clearly, that regardless of pace and style, Coastal Fire Dept rock, and they rock hard. I think this served as a strong finish to a great EP and I’m eager to hear more from the group. 

So that’s what I thought of Coastal Fire Dept’s EP ‘Radio’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. Make sure and support the band by following them on Facebook and Instagram, or by visiting their website.