An Interview With The Alternative Band COIN On New Singles, Year-End Goals And More!

COIN has been making a name for themselves over the last few years with their modern sheen approach to their alternative-pop hits, which led them to be a consecutive newcomer to the radio airwaves. The band’s memorable live stage presence landed them a sold-out headline U.S. tour, opening slots for The 1975, Young The Giant, Betty Who, Passion Pit, Neon Trees, and debut appearances at major music festivals such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Firefly Festival, and Life is Beautiful. Together, their strong ability to craft undeniably catchy songs have garnered them over 80+ million streams on Spotify early on within their career. As they continue to evolve from being a ‘Band to Watch,’ they start to further define their music persona and increase their loyal following.

COIN is made up of Ryan Winnen (drums), Chase Lawrence (vocals, keys), Zach Dyke (bass) and Joe Memmel (guitar, vocals).

Learn more about COIN in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What is on tap for the rest of your day?

I actually just recovered my crashed hard drive. So, I’m patiently sifting through my corrupted sessions. A lot of files are damaged, having clicks and pops. It’s nice to go through and rework things. A whole new kind of creativity…

Since we are now at the back-end of 2018, how has this year treated this band? What is one musical goal that you have had for this year? How close are you to reaching it?

This has been the longest year of my life, let alone the band’s. I’ve never changed so little and learned so much in a period of time. It’s been a year of the highest of high and, subsequently, the strangest of strange. All of that to say, this has been the best year of my life. I set out to write enough songs for two albums but I might’ve gotten three albums worth.

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this group together? Was it hard to think of a name that you could agree on?

I don’t know if I recall a moment when I thought, “Wow, we are gonna be a band!!!” I can’t stop thinking about the first rehearsals when we had no idea how to communicate with each other. We had all been dominant voices in past musical endeavors (albeit, tragic high school attempts) so we just gathered those techniques and yelled at each other. It kinda worked. Surprisingly, the least disruptive decision we made in this band was on the name. We all looked at each other and unanimously shrugged with, “That sounds like a band name.” We have never looked back.

How do you think your hometowns have influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group?

I think Nashville is just now beginning to rub off on me. As I grow older, I find the urge to talk about things that are true to me. Maybe Nashville helped cultivate that in me… Sonically, I don’t think it would matter where we were from. It was always gonna be COIN. 

How has your various musical backgrounds helped shape the sound of this band?

It’s a patchwork quilt of influences. There were many points where we aligned in our journeys, but our introductions and know how could not have been shaped more differently. I grew up playing in church, Joe grew up listening to classic rock and new wave, and Ryan fell into hard rock drumming as a 15 year old Cleveland heartthrob. That combination… Hymns + The Cars + teenage metal. Looking back, it’s so easy to see how we took exactly what we loved about our musical backgrounds and simply plugged them into pop songs. I know it’s more complicated than that, but it also really isn’t.

Let’s talk about your newest singles “Simple Romance” and upcoming “Cemetery.” How do you think these two songs show the growth this band has undergone since your hit track “Talk Too Much” was released? How do you go about writing your music and putting your songs together?

Not that I haven’t in the past, but on this album, I have worked hard to personally speak to what I know. I wanted to write songs from sentiments I’ve felt for the past year. I don’t want to call it growth; it’s just different. Every step of the way, I consider our listeners. This time, I just had some things to get out of my head and into the world. More recently, we’ve readapted to our old, extremely collaborative songwriting process which is our band in a room, yelling. I hate it, but I love how we feel about it. 

How would you say these songs prepare your fans for your forthcoming third album? What was it like getting into the studio to record this album? Did anything surprise you about the overall process?

These songs aren’t necessarily indicative of what’s to come. I don’t know if any one or two songs could be. I’ve never been more proud of a full collection of songs. We pulled and stretched. This whole album process has been like pulling teeth for me. The band has been supportive of my obsessive indecisiveness. Previous to this album, I had never had this much control of the final product. I relied on producers, managers, mixers to kind of help me along & navigate the waters. Not that I didn’t use those resources to the best of my ability, but this time, I was really in the trenches. Because of that, I didn’t realize the kind of pressure I was putting on it. Halfway through I hit a stride and I quit sweating the little things. I wouldn’t change that experience, but I wouldn’t go back for anything.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

For me, it depends on the day. I love creating new things because it’s representative of infinite possibilities, which is a drug to my walless brain. At the same time, there is no greater feeling than seeing the immediate satisfaction from a mob of standing people… No data, no metrics… “they like it or they don’t.”

What was your recent tour in Asia like? Are you looking forward to the downtime for the rest of the year and ramping it back up in 2019?

Asia feels like home to COIN. I can’t fully explain it. I find the downtime to be the most stressful, somehow. That’s when I have the most time to think. I’m staying busy to avoid deeeeeeep thought.

Do you find that all of social media and keeping up with your fans has gotten so overwhelming? Or do you rely heavily on others to take care of that for the band? Which platform would you say that you enjoy engaging with the most?

I do find social media overwhelming, but this band wouldn’t exist without it. I love how I can tell part of the story and our amazing fans, at times, finish my thought or connect things I’d never considered. I try not to get too involved… I deleted the apps off my phone and I use safari when I need to use it. Every now and then, I’ll go off and use it liberally. I am happier when I try to use it as an extension of real life, rather than a separate existence.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how you all think being musicians and in this band still gives you the most joy in life today? Do you find that your music is an escape to all the current events?

You kind of just have to figure out how to find meaning in whatever you do. For me, that’s bringing joy to people. Regardless of my music or escapism, I just wanna bring genuine joy. 

What musicians would you love to work with in the future? What artists have really been inspiring this group and your music since day 1?

I would love to work with Ric Ocasek (The Cars) and Robert Smith (The Cure). Both of them have inspired me.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

Uncertainty and happiness can exist simultaneously.