Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
When you find yourself derailed by a moment in time to which you might share a common name, you can either surrender to it and lose track or you can stand against the force of the spiteful wind and patiently understand that it is nothing personal, that True Love Waits for you in all respects.
Embracing a new beginning is always a daunting prospect, suddenly finding yourself bereft of a long-term partner can be frightening, upsetting, fear provoking, the loss of a name is one that cannot be taken lightly, and yet for the Dublin band, The Coronas, the pain of a separation in the light of Dave McPhillips leaving of the band, has turned to a moment of unexpected delivery and clarity, that Time may do its best to throw you off balance, but it also finds ways to right the soul somewhere down the line.
The clear picture that has become a pattern of beauty sees The Coronas latest album, True Love Waits, take a different approach, the name remains but the actions and series are arguably more dynamic, tighter due to scaling down to a threesome, but also embracing the presence of new input from others to whom wish to have contact with that special brand, that name that has come to mean so much to fans of the Irish group.
Through tracks such as Never Ending (On Your Side), I Think We Jinxed It, Heat of the Moment, Lost in the Thick of It, Need Your Presence and Find the Water, Danny O’Reilly, Graham Knox and Conor Egan take note of the collaboration and the offerings of others to create an album of atmospheric pleasure, driven by the surprising vibe, and the elegance of renewal. Nothing however can replace the past glory, but should the name no longer fit, the only way, as The Coronas have found to their delight, is to see change as a natural flow of Time, to see that love is always a fluid motion, one that in this case has been patient, lyrically enlightening, and one that invigorated the sense of purpose once more,
What’s in a name anyway, everything it seems, especially if love is on hand to make it worthwhile.
The Coronas’ True Love Waits is out now.
Ian D. Hall