Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Durham’s finest release their third EP, and boy, are they turning into one groovy band! The title cut was commissioned by National Marriage Week for their website and is a good old-fashioned love song celebrating the longevity of marriage that endures. It’s jangly pop in a sixpence fashion with a tune so catchy you’ll be whistling it within hours! The remix highlights the creative tensions within the band where on one hand they need to write strong pop, they also need to go off on a limb and make interesting music. A wash of keyboard and sounds from Andy Wolfe is the focus of the remix and suddenly jangly pop becomes blissed out beats. The epic track of the set is the incredible “Beautiful” which places the distinctive vocals of Becky Harding over a perfect laid back groove. The overall effect simply sends shivers tingling down my spine and the track IS beautiful. The final cut “Follower sees Nick Drake taking vocal duties and for the first half of the song, it’s a stripped-down testifying vocal challenging the listener over an electric guitar. Then there’s a pause and a Delirious? style explosion of guitar as the band kick in. The effect is rather stunning. This EP was recorded over a single weekend and demonstrates how sheer talent and creativity can overcome budget restrictions. Coastal Dune are a special band and they’re going places.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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