Anthemic rockers The Coronas have just release their new album, Thoughts & Observations, and the band’s singer, Danny O’Reilly, is negotiating a familiar swirl of emotions. Excitement, jitters – and an anxious curiosity as to how fans will receive the material.
“You always have that moment before it comes out where you’re like, ‘oh…how is this going to go down?’,” the chatty and amiable frontman says over Zoom from his home in Dublin. “Especially in an industry where the landscape is constantly changing and it’s hard to know what will work with TikTok and streaming and everything. I still think the band has something to offer and something to say. It’s hard to know if people want to hear it. But it’s been getting a great reaction so far. The main thing is that we’re proud if it.”
He has nothing to worry about. Thoughts & Observations, The Coronas’ eighth long-player, is a winning collection of heart-on-sleeve pop-rock and a deft showcase for O’Reilly’s melodic songwriting and observational lyrics. Drawing vividly on his experiences of love and loss, it brims with diaristic observations – on the minimalist ballad, Confirmation, for instance, the crestfallen narrator realises an ex has started a new relationship when he “spots a Starbucks receipt for two ice-coffees”.
“It was funny because it actually wasn’t a Starbucks. It was a hipster coffee shop,” he laughs. “That lyric [referencing some trendy Dublin hangout] isn’t going to work as well. So I did take some liberties.”
Early Coronas records celebrated the joys of being young and carefree. At that time, they were huge on the college touring circuit, where O’Reilly sang about J1 holidays and drama-filled nights out with pals in front of audiences living through the same experiences. He’s older now, and he’s been through a few things, all of which are reflected in the new record.
“In recent albums, I’ve tried to maybe take a deeper look at myself,” he says. “There’s a lot more songs about self-improvement. Trying to be a better version of myself, trying to be a better bandmate, a better friend, a better other half, a better brother, a better son. When I’m at my most vulnerable there’s probably a little bit of self-doubt. I don’t want to say self-hatred, that’s the wrong word. But self-criticism that I delve into sometimes a little bit more in the last few albums.”
The Coronas – a core trio of singer/guitarist O’Reilly, drummer Conor Egan and drummer Graham Knox – have a huge following and have played the main stage at Electric Picnic in addition to headlining 3Arena and Live at the Marquee in Cork. Before Covid, they were even plans for them to host their own two-day festival in Bray. But O’Reilly, the son of folk singer Mary Black, has never taken their popularity for granted. Regardless of past accomplishments, there’s no such thing as guaranteed success in the music industry.
“Every single time we announce gigs, I’m always there to the manager and the lads, it might not sell out. Don’t put on two Olympias. Put on one, just in case. You just never know. Post-covid, the big stuff kept selling. The likes of Coldplay, Oasis obviously. A lot of the smaller stuff… [isn’t selling as quickly as the big gigs].”
The Coronas released their first album, Heroes or Ghosts in 2007, during a halcyon era for Irish guitar music. Much has been said about the “landfill indie/ indie sleaze” scene in the UK in the early 2000s. But Dublin, in particular, was bursting with groups at that time – alongside The Coronas, there was Delorentos, Director, The Chalets and countless others. Many of their peers have since fallen by the wayside. But The Coronas are still here and O’Reilly is proud of that longevity.
“When we started there used to be bands playing every night of the week in [famous Dublin rock venue] Whelan’s. There was a bit of a scene. There would be bands coming through and getting radio play. We’re lucky enough that we have enough of a foundation that we probably in Ireland just teeter on that sort of bigger show, thing.
“So we survived that cull if you will – and that’s the wrong word for it. But post-covid we had enough people following us that we were safe. When things came back, we had crowds there. We were known to be a good show and a good night out and that stuck with us. We kept at it – that has stood to us as well. We’re still going. There’s no rocket science to it. We kept writing and kept going and kept releasing albums. That’s all we’ve ever known.”
- Thoughts & Observations is out now. Upcoming live dates include October 2, Cyprus Avenue, Cork; December 12-17, Olympia, Dublin; and December 28, INEC, Kilarney
