Coastin: Iration's New Reggae-Influenced Album

Iration Really Hits The Mark With Their New Reggae-Influenced Alternative Album “Coastin”

Reggae-influenced alternative rock band Iration will drop their 7th album July 10th. Reggae doesn’t have to be your thing to love this album but, If Reggae or alt-Reggae is your thing or you’re just looking for some good vibes to soak up some sun, this album is going to take over your playlist! I love the overall vibe this album is adding to the world. “Coastin” has the sound and vibe that might just take your mind straight to the beach.

The band consists of Micah Pueschel on lead vocals and guitar, Adam Taylor on bass, Joe Dickens on drums, Cayson Peterson on keyboards and synth and Micah Brown on guitar and vocals. The album features several collabs with the likes of Eli Mack, Eric Rachmany, Stick Figure and Common Kings. The album has a consistent message of love, respect, enjoying life and learning to be better. The album is cohesive in a fun collection of songs that keep you excited for the next song.

“This album takes inspiration from the music and artists that made us who we are. We wanted to make an album that had a “classic” sound. Something that would never feel dated or part of a specific time period. We wanted to musically take people on a journey. As always we drew from our roots of reggae, funk, pop and rock to bring something together that feels like the most coherent piece of music we’ve ever made.”- Micah Pueschel

Normally when I do an album review, I pick my favorites and talk about those, but this album has a lot to offer so I wanted to give each song a little time. Here are my thoughts on this collection of songs.

The intro song “Coastin’” is a mellow lead into the rest of the album. From the beginning, we have a smooth Reggae song with lyrics like “No one can interrupt my groove today” and “Feels good just to be alive” setting the tone and throwing some serious positivity out into the world! This song is a steady groove of good energy. For an intro to the album, this sets the tone for a consistent album that takes us listeners on a journey of positivity, energy and a love of life.

“Contact High” is a song about respect and loyalty. It starts out with the synth and electronic drums leading into soft and happy vocals. This song feels like love at its purest.

“Guava Lane” is a smooth song that is consistent with so much of the album and features Eli-Mack on vocals. The actual“Guava Lane” is a neighborhood in Honolulu which I have never been to. The song pours out love for the place so much so that I feel like I absolutely need to be there at some point in my life.

“Daylight Saving” is more of a traditional Reggae sound with love as the backdrop. I loved the approach with daylight savings as a concept to extend time with a loved one as opposed to my midwesterner approach that is always a little depressing.

“Zen Island” takes a softer approach telling a story and sounds a little more like a pop/alt-pop song. This song like many others on this album is a positive song that can feel uplifting.

I had the pleasure of reviewing the first single off the album, “Right Here Right” Now, earlier this year and I loved the collaboration with Eric Rachmany and Stick Figure in this song. I loved the collab on this one and it is easily my favorite song on the album.

“You and I making up for lost time” is the chorus in “Home Tonight”. This is a sweet and sexy song with soft vocals, steady drums and guitar. This is a great song to chill to.

“Fancy” has a somewhat different sound that sounds to me a little disco inspired. I love the change of pace on the album with this song and it keeps with the overall happy and positive tone of the rest of the album. Iration flexes their versatility with this song.

“If You Only Knew” feat. Common Kings is not quite the super upbeat song like the rest of this album. You can hear the influence of R&B while still sounding like it’s part of the album. It’s another good love song by Iration.

“Chill Out” is a song calling out the hotheads of the world and calls for peace. This is a modern Reggae song that you could easily dance to. Iration is making a bigger statement here in this song and the overall sound of this song is exactly what we look for in a reggae influenced alternative song.

Damn. “Smile” is one song on this album that gets me. This song is heavier on the guitar than much on this album and tells the story of people going through great hardships reminding us to all “slow down, take a breath, enjoy yourself and don’t forget this: Remember to smile”. I absolutely loved the sound of this song but you add in the wonderful message of overcoming adversity, you have a really great song here!

Move Forward has a more alt rock/ triple A feel. The electric guitar and vocals make for an intimate feel like you are being sung to directly. It is a song about growing up and moving past previous struggles and enjoying life. Like so much on this album, this song will uplift us listeners.

Finally, “Learn From Me” is a tender song about mistakes and doing better. The acoustic guitar is a welcomed alt wrap up to this album for me. I feel like it closes on another positive note which is consistent throughout but also reminds us we are all human and we can always do better or try harder. This is a beautiful and timely (or timeless) song.

You will likely feel good after giving this album a spin. It seems to me that Iration has come a long way in their long career (so far) and loving the stage they are in right now. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have! Check out our interviews for an even more personal look at new music.

-Jessica Frey

Song List:

Coastin’

Contact High

Guava Lane feat. Eli Mack

Daylight Saving

Zen Island

Right Now Right Here feat. Eric Rachmany and Stick Figure

Home Tonight

Fancy

If You Only Knew feat. Common Kings

Chill Out

Smile

Move Forward

Learn From Me

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