“Everything we make feels extra fresh and new to me” — Coral Moons’ Manuel Camacho on ‘summer of u’

Coral Moons, the indie-pop ensemble originally from Boston, now residing in the serene woods of Upstate New York, have recently announced their latest musical endeavour, summer of u. Scheduled for release on June 25 via Better Company Records, the album explores poignant themes of self-identity and acceptance, encapsulated within a vibrant mix of surf-pop and retro rock ‘n’ roll. Alongside the announcement, the band have released the single poser, a playful yet introspective track that delves into the quirks of self-perception and societal integration.

Discussing the creation of the bass line for poser, Manuel Camacho, the bassist during the album’s recording, shared, “The entire rhythm section for ‘Poser’ was an exercise in self-restraint. It started as a continuous unison guitar and bass riff but as soon as Kevin (drums) laid down the verse beat we quickly realised the bass didn’t have to do all the driving.” This approach allowed the bass to complement the light-hearted and accepting themes of the song with “a few whimsical fills here and there to keep it fun,” adding a sense of liberation to the music-making process.

When asked about the emotional underpinnings of summer of u, Camacho noted, “I’ve always been a prog nerd and metal enthusiast, so it had been a struggle to feel like my ideas could fit into the vibe of the band. But with this record, I felt more comfortable than ever to simply let the music speak, and the songwriting sessions were the most cooperative, experimental and fun we’ve ever had. I’m not saying we went full on metal, but I was able to trust my instincts more than ever, regardless of where I got them from.” He adds, “Because my background is so different, everything we make with Coral Moons feels extra fresh and new to me, which is exciting, but a lot of the ideas I can bring to the table that I might consider ‘vanilla’ might actually be fresh and exciting to the rest of the band! It’s a win-win situation.”

The relocation to Upstate New York has evidently reshaped Coral Moons’ creative dynamics. “I believe we all got better and more comfortable sharing musical ideas remotely by sending Logic projects back and forth. This meant we all had more time to come up with ‘cool’ and interesting arrangements in a very intimate way. Very few of those arrangements survived the band songwriting and demoing sessions, and even fewer made it through the recording sessions, but it was a bit like flushing the individualist (and perhaps a bit mediocre) ideas out so that we could all build something fresh and fun together.”

Camacho also commented on how the change of environment and band dynamics influenced their creativity, sharing how the band’s relocation to a cabin in the woods has become more than just a change of scenery. “The cabin is definitely a second home to me, and it’s the first place I think of when you mention the creative process. It’s so important for any musician to bounce ideas off other creative people, and this is the place to do it. There’s no judgement, no taboo, no pressure and, most importantly, no shortage of amazing food!”

With an upcoming performance at FloydFest, Camacho shared insights into how the band transitions their studio work to the live stage: “When recording ‘Poser’, I had to get up and dance so I could feel the gaps I needed to fill and the ones I had to leave alone, and I’m not much of a dancer! For ‘Davis Square’, we adapted what was originally a guitar part into a bass part—which really helped drive the song forward and freed up Justin to add an extra layer to it—and when the verse after the first chorus hits, you can really hear our Radiohead coming out! For ‘In Space’, the ‘traditional’ bass part was covered with synths, which meant we could get a bit creative with what an electric bass could bring to the mix, by exploring higher registers, heavy distortion and even power chords!”

The album is now available for pre-order through Better Company Records and promises to be a great addition to the indie music scene of 2024.