Album review: Kodaline, Coming Up For Air

Irish band Kodaline.

Irish band Kodaline move away from indie folk-fuelled first album In A Perfect World with the release of their sophomore album, Coming Up For Air.

The four-piece did well with debut album singles All I Want and High Hopes, but Coming Up For Air lacks the same catchy, earnest stand-out songs.

It sounds like they were doing some experimenting in the studio on this album, ditching, for the most part, their folk-pop sound.

However, the changes mean Kodaline end up sounding less like Mumford and Sons and more like Coldplay. Coming Up For Air is full of soaring piano-heavy ballads led by singer Steve Garrigan's Chris Martin-like vocals.

Watch the music video for Honest by Kodaline:

The soulful Love Will Set You Free balances out the stompy single Honest. Coming Alive is one of the most pop-happy tracks on the album, though also feels the most true to Kodaline's musical roots.

Basic pop-rock riffs on Ready, Autopilot and Caught in the Middle are layered up with luscious harmonies, interesting guitar licks and synth-notes. This is true for much of Kodaline's latest album.

It would have been nice to hear more of their gentle folk-pop, but the new sound isn't bad either.

Album: Coming Up For Air
Label: Sony

Verdict: Points for trying something different

- TimeOut