Distance Inbetween is the eighth studio album by the English indie rock band The Coral. It's their first album after a five-year hiatus, their first without guitarist Lee Southall and also the first with Southall's replacement, Paul Molloy. The album was released on 4 March 2016.[2] The first single, "Chasing the Tail of a Dream", was released on 26 December 2015.[3]

Distance Inbetween
Studio album by
Released4 March 2016 (2016-03-04)
Recorded2015
StudioParr Street, Liverpool
GenrePsychedelic rock[1]
Length44:38
LabelIgnition
ProducerRichard Turvey, The Coral
The Coral chronology
The Curse of Love
(2014)
Distance Inbetween
(2016)
Move Through the Dawn
(2018)
Singles from Distance Inbetween
  1. "Chasing the Tail of a Dream"
    Released: 26 December 2015
  2. "Miss Fortune"
    Released: 20 January 2016
  3. "Holy Revelation"
    Released: 2016

Background

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The catalyst for the album and the band's return from hiatus was in 2014 when lead singer and main songwriter James Skelly came up with "Chasing the Tail of a Dream," intending to record it with The Intenders, the backing band for his 2013 debut solo album, Love Undercover which also included The Coral members Ian Skelly, Paul Duffy and Nick Power. When jamming together on the song didn't feel right, Skelly felt it might be more suited to The Coral. Meanwhile, while planning to finally release The Curse of Love, a long-shelved album that they had recorded in between 2005's The Invisible Invasion and 2007's Roots & Echoes, the suggestion came for the band to try making music together again.[4]

Initial songwriting sessions for the album were conducted as a four-piece due to Southall opting out in favor of working on his in-progress solo album,[5] prompting the music to become more rhythm-oriented due to James Skelly being the sole guitarist at the time.[6] After coming up with four new songs, the band brought in Molloy, former guitarist of The Zutons who had recently collaborated with Ian Skelly as Serpent Power.[5]

Recording

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The band recorded the album at Liverpool's Parr Street Studios with co-producer Richard Turvey in 2015.[7] The band took a disciplined approach to recording, in which they would arrive at the studio in the morning, work until 10 pm and then go home. Most of the album was recorded live, with overdubs kept to a minimum and the first take (of usually three) often being the chosen one. In total, recording took approximately three weeks, followed a lengthier process of piecing the tracks together.[4]

Composition

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Regarding the album's direction, the band wanted the sound to be minimal, direct and groove-based, with musical touchstones including Cypress Hill, Kool Keith, Portishead and Can.[8] The album was also influenced by what Power referred to as "stuff that's happened," including the death of Alan Wills, the band's mentor and founder of Deltasonic Records, in a cycling accident. The band subsequently dedicated the album in memory of Wills.[9]

Promotion

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The first single from the album, "Chasing the Tail of a Dream", was released as a free download from the band's website on 26 December 2015.[10] A signed and numbered 7-inch vinyl with the new song "Unforgiven" as the B-side was additionally released.[11] The second single from the album, "Miss Fortune", was released on 20 January 2016, alongside a video produced by the band.[12]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[13]
Metacritic81/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
Clash7/10[16]
Classic Rock     [17]
Drowned in Sound7/10[18]
The Guardian     [19]
The Line of Best Fit6.5/10[20]
musicOMH     [21]
NME     [22]
PopMatters          [23]
Under the Radar          [24]

Distance Inbetween was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 18 reviews.[14] AnyDecentMusic? gave it a score of 7.7, also based on 18 reviews.[13]

Accolades

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Publication Accolade Year Rank
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016

Track listing

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All tracks written by James Skelly, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Connector"J. Skelly, Nick Power4:13
2."White Bird"J. Skelly, Ian Skelly, Power3:30
3."Chasing the Tail of a Dream" 3:44
4."Distance Inbetween" 4:19
5."Million Eyes" 5:35
6."Miss Fortune"J. Skelly, Power3:32
7."Beyond the Sun" 4:00
8."It's You"J. Skelly, Power3:28
9."Holy Revelation"J. Skelly, Power3:10
10."She Runs the River" 3:16
11."Fear Machine" 4:00
12."End Credits"Power1:51
Total length:44:38[2]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from Distance Inbetween liner notes.[26]

The Coral

Additional musicians

  • Alfie Skelly - bow (track 10)
  • Richard Turvey - keyboard (track 9), guitar (track 11)

Production

  • Richard Turvey - production, mixing, engineering
  • Ian Skelly - additional engineering (track 10), artwork, additional photography
  • Anna Benson - artwork
  • Dominic Foster - additional photography
  • Mike Snowdon - design, layout

Charts

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Chart (2016) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[27] 142
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[28] 69
Irish Albums (IRMA)[29] 82
UK Albums (OCC)[30] 13

References

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  1. ^ Gunn, Charlotte (3 March 2016). "The Coral – 'Distance Inbetween' Review". NME. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b Renshaw, David (23 November 2015). "The Coral to return after five year break - new album and UK tour plans confirmed". NME. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Watch the Coral's video for Chasing the Tail of a Dream". The Guardian. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b "The Tail of a Dream: The Coral Interviewed | Features | Clash Magazine". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Interview: The Coral - 'the new album sounds like we've gone through Event Horizon'". Getintothis.co.uk. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Interview: The Coral's James Skelly - Songwriting Magazine". Songwritingmagazine.co.uk. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  7. ^ Guy, Peter (23 November 2015). "The Coral return with new album and headline Liverpool Sound City". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Interview: The Coral - M Magazine". M-magazinec.ouk. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  9. ^ Simpson, Dave (3 March 2016). "The Coral return: 'Success was like a runaway train – chaotic with no control'". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  10. ^ Christie, Niall (29 December 2015). "The Coral Release First Track From Hotly Anticipated New Album". Never Enough Notes. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  11. ^ Hendicott, James (26 December 2015). "The Coral launch 'Chasing the Tail of a Dream' video - watch". NME. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  12. ^ Trefor, Cai (20 January 2016). "The Coral release video to first single in six years". Gigwise. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Distance Inbetween by The Coral reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Distance Inbetween by The Coral". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  15. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Distance Inbetween - The Coral". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  16. ^ James, Gareth (7 March 2016). "The Coral - Distance Inbetween". Clash. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  17. ^ Beaumont, Mark (15 April 2016). "The Coral: Distance Inbetween". Classic Rock. Future plc. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  18. ^ Trefor, Cai (2 March 2016). "Album Review: The Coral - Distance Inbetween". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  19. ^ Hann, Michael (3 March 2016). "The Coral: Distance Inbetween review – indie veterans make a purposeful return". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  20. ^ Nash, Ed (29 February 2016). "Distance Inbetween by The Coral". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  21. ^ Hogwood, Ben (7 March 2016). "The Coral - Distance Inbetween". musicOMH. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  22. ^ Gunn, Charlotte (3 March 2016). "The Coral - 'Distance Inbetween' Review". NME. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  23. ^ Folland, Richard (6 March 2016). "The Coral: Distance Inbetween". PopMatters. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  24. ^ Lucas, Dan (11 April 2016). "The Coral: The Distance Inbetween (Ignition) Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  26. ^ "The Coral - Distance Inbetween". Discogs. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Coral – Distance Inbetween" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  28. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Coral – Distance Inbetween" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  29. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 10, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
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