“The Coast are yet another example of the increasingly talented and seemingly unstoppable Canadian indie music scene.” – Rob Bolton, Exclaim! Magazine

“The spacey, Verve-like quality of their delicate tunes wouldn't sound out of place on the Lost in Translation soundtrack...” – Andrea Miller, Eye Weekly, Toronto

“...upbeat, shimmering pop music that could get folks dancing without a single disco hi-hat.” – Frank Yang, Chromewaves.

Named for the Paul Simon song from Rhythm of The Saints, Toronto quartet The Coast aims to make music that is similarly timeless and unique.

The Coast stretches from the sleepy edges of Canada's largest metropolis. Comprised of two sets of friends (and a set of brothers), the four boys from Toronto (singer/guitarist Benjamin Spurr, guitarist/keyboardist Ian Fosbery, bassist Luke Melchiorre, and drummer Jordan Melchiorre) joined forces in high school and began writing and playing without any formal musical training.

Entrenched in the burgeoning Toronto music scene, The Coast thrive on being a part of such a cultural and diverse community, but at the same time strive to set their music apart from any particular cultural milieu or trend. Though they may share many of the same collective influences as their contemporaries — New Order, the Smiths, the Verve, U2 — the band relies on their own dynamic songwriting to make their mark.

The Coast's debut 2004 EP, Take A Walk Outside (released under the July 26th Movement name) garnered considerable interest — the band sold hundreds of copies at their live show alone. The EP has a palpable theme throughout, dealing heavily with lyrical themes of departure.

But The Coast aren’t going anywhere — in fact, they’re just arriving. Having developed a devoted fan base following only a few years of playing the local club circuit, the band has also charted on Ontario campus radio and have begun to tour across Canada, opening for numerous prominent Canadian indie bands and international acts, such as:

Elbow (V2)
The Duke Spirit (Loog)
Islands (Rough Trade)
The French Kicks (Startime)
The Cloud Room (Gigantic)
The Meligrove Band (V2)
The Ladies and Gentlemen (Boompa/EMI)
Tokyo Police Club (Paper Bag Records)
By Divine Right (SpinArt / Linus)

...just to name a few. The band recently performed to sold-out crowds during their first tour of the East Coast, and are preparing to release a new EP of melodic anthems, including indelible first single “All Farewells,” this spring.

With their chiming guitars, soaring vocals, and bittersweet lyrics, there’s something incredibly familiar about The Coast’s sound that evokes the expansive, memorable quality of their musical heroes. But if you think you’ve heard it all before, think again. “There's so much unfinished here,” Spurr sings on “All Farewells.” With their urban epics that manage to find light even in the bleakest darkness, The Coast are only getting started.

-by Tabassum Siddiqui