The Coronas [unedited] Music Review

I remember telling my parents that when I graduated from college I wanted to go to Ireland. I am half Irish, and I have a few relatives living in Ireland, so I wanted to meet them.

On May 5th I graduated from Dean College in 2018, and on May 24th I arrived in Ireland. We landed in Dublin, and we traveled across Ireland. We went to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, I kissed the Blarney Stone (but still am not as a smooth talker as I want to be), and we visited my family members who live in Killarney.

The one thing that stuck with me when I came back home were the musicians on the streets of Dublin. It was there where I met a trio who call themselves Stray Melody.

Music already established a huge part in my life, but when I walked the streets of Dublin… Irish music created a new appreciation in my life.

Irish music is different than any other music in the world, just like American music is different than Indian music. In my opinion, what makes them different is in the song writing. All I Want by Kodaline makes you feel something stronger than Let Her Go by Passenger. Yes, the Passenger song makes you cry, but the Kodaline song makes you cry and then it sticks with you… In a way that is special only to you.

That’s what The Coronas music does to you too. Especially Lost in the Thick of It, which is their most popular song. The song is a special song just like every well known Irish song, because it touches on the fragile times during the beginning of a relationship. Additionally, “it’s about needing space to sort your own head out before you feel comfortable talking about what’s on your mind,” they tell me.

Formed when they were just 15 years old, Danny O’Reilly started The Coronas. “I grew up around music, my mother is a singer, so she encouraged me at an early age to write my own songs. It was very cathartic for me in my teens and then it was bands I loved like the Frames, BellX1 and Snow Patrol that made me want to be in a band,” says Danny.

Over the past 17 years, the Coronas have grown a family-like fan base. “They sing with us, and are very loyal and proud to be followers,” they say.

“‘We haven’t even thought about (changing our name),’ replied O’Reilly. ‘We’ve been around for five albums and this is a new disease. It’s having a big effect on everything and it’s a hard one to judge. If we were a brand-new band I’d say, ‘absolutely of course’. We haven’t considered re-branding. Who knows what effect this will have?’”
~Danny O’Reilly to NME (May 13th, 2020)

The Corona’s name have been the topic of a lot of questions lately, and rightly so… After all we’re in the middle of a Coronavirus pandemic right now. I will let you read about this and form your own opinion on this subject, just Google “the coronas review” and a bunch of articles about their name will come up. But in my opinion, they have the right to do whatever they want to with their name that was made a good 17 years before the pandemic.

As far as their music, it’s nothing short to unique and memorable. If you’re a fan of Kodaline, Snow Patrol, and Picture This, then you’ll definitely enjoy The Coronas music.

I find their 2014 album The Long Way to be a hidden gem, it’s a great album that is explosive. If Oasis and The Verve would make a modern rock album today, it would probably sound something like this album.

However, Lost in the Thick of It is my favorite song at the end of the day. It’s a song I’ve listened to 10 times now, and yet I’m still singing along to it without an ounce of annoyance.

“(This quarantine has taught us) that no matter what happens, we’ll be alright. It’s made us realize how lucky we are to do what we do and put everything into perspective.”
~The Coronas (7/1/2020)

Future for the Coronas, just like every musician, is unknown at the moment. But they are keeping their fingers crossed that they’ll be back on the road soon. Until time allows that, they are focusing on releasing new music. The next release is for their next album called True Love Waits which is due to be released on the 31st! (Click album cover below to pre-save now!)

Their direction is guided by whatever songs come out of them, they say. “As we’ve grown our songwriting has naturally evolved so hopefully that will continue,” says the band.

I would like to thank Asher Alexander (Republic Media Group) for connecting me with The Coronas, I was very excited about this review and hope to set something up with them when they come around to Boston.

You can follow The Coronas on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also stream their music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Deezer.

You can follow the Republic Media Group on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also listen to their What’s on the Stereo playlist on Spotify.

You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also listen to our playlists on Spotify and SoundCloud.

Have a fantastic week, and remember to not be stupid and were a mask in public! Remember to be kind to everyone, and treat others the way you’d expect to be treated.