Manhattan Coast ‘Beg, Borrow Or Steal’ EP Review.
9/10
This, the new EP from Welsh alt. rock band Manhattan Coast, is nothing short of fucking great!.
I was gonna stop the review there but then I realised that isn’t very helpful for anyone trying to find out what the band sound like so I’ll write some more.
I’m usually not one for comparing bands or saying if a band sound like another but with Manhattan Coast I’m gonna say they sound a like a cross between Glassjaw/Head Automatica and Deaf Havana, with some unique touches thrown in.
First track here ‘My Boat, My Rules’ definitely kicks things off in style, combining razor sharp riffs, gang vocals and a boatload (sorry!) of melody.
Vocalist Nick Lane has a hell of a voice, passionate, melodic, aggressive and he uses all these things to great effect on the track ‘CF31 Kid’
One of my favourite songs here is ‘Smile & Wave Boys, Smile & Wave’, a massive song, which combines a huge chorus with crushing guitars from Geraint Rees and Lloyd Williams and pounding rhythm work from bassist Adam Jones and Drummer Simon Butcher. This track is definitely a future anthem and will be the first video the band release from the EP.
The quality of the songs here is outstanding, they honestly get better each time I listen to them.
Final track here ‘I Open At The Close’ starts quietly and turns into a huge, sprawling, epic-like song with an absolute star turn from Nick. It’s a fitting end to this EP.
Manhattan Coast really are a band you should check out if you like honest, powerful, melodic, anthemic songs, which really rock.
This EP is being released worldwide digitally through iTunes, Amazon, spotify etc on September 17th and the guys are holding an EP release show at Hobo’s in Bridgend on September 15th and it’s free entry, so you have no excuse not to head down a pick up a copy.
