The Coral: 388
(Run On)
LP
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
The Coral release 388, a surprise album that drips in nostalgia for their own past. Beautiful and timeless.
The news seeped out, dripped posts on social media here and there, no fanfare, nothing official. The Coral’s new album was in the shops, a select few, to come across and find unaware. A gem hidden among many. This is a band doing things as they please, no pressure, no carefully-crafted PR schedule to build the hype. Scalpers be damned for attempting to spoil their fun. Did you find one? Were you one of the lucky few? Fear not, for, of course, after two weeks already out there, 388 gets its official release for all. And what an album it is; one of simplistic beauty that harks back to the band’s earlier years, capturing their own magic and medicine.
After the release of the documentary about their formation and debut album, and the spoken-word tour that followed, The Coral decided to take things back on their own terms and seep themselves with their own nostalgia. Gone are the heady ambitions of world-crafting concept albums, magnificent though they were. Resisting the temptation to step into the chaos of Skeleton Key and the drive of Goodbye, they have opted for the more twinkling worlds of Liezahs, while seemingly dousing themselves in the Trojan back catalogue. That more rocksteady ska sound comes through pretty early on Ride That Train and Leave It In The Past, above all the latter with its upstroke guitars and Nick Powers ever-present keys. Throughout, James Skelly’s voice is soulful, full of soft emotion, a voice that continues to grow in confidence as the years pass. The wonderful falsetto he hits on opener Let The Music Play encapsulates it perfectly, also revelling in the early reggae influence scattered across the opening songs.
It is a view of the sun cracking through to brighten the day, coming through literally and lyrically on High Tide, a nostalgic optimism that comes through in spades across the album. While shorn of the fuzz drive of songs like Connector, Spirit Catcher feels like it could have come from Distance Inbetween. Like a classic Curtis Mayfield cut dropped from a box on the Liverpool docks, passed through hands until settling in Hoylake, it is a definite album highlight. Elsewhere, such as on Crossing The Sands, they still drop in those Spaghetti-Western motifs that littered their early works. Lush melodies and backing vocals run across the muted guitar picking, resulting in a song that conjures the rolling credits of many a 70s film. Shame brings both sides of the coin together perfectly; Morricone meets Marley on the River Dee Estuary, sailing out across the Irish Sea.
Each song feels simple and uncluttered while simultaneously full of small details that twinkle and shine. The ever-sublime backing vocals of Powers and bassist Paul Duffy elevate the already wonderful songs, especially on the beautiful You & Me, which encapsulates the simplicity that the band have put to great effect. There are moments more plaintive on songs like Sad Girl and Here Come The Tears, but the overall feeling of the album is one of being quietly uplifted.
What comes across is the joy of a band shorn of any shackles of expectation, taking the reins back for themselves. There are no multiple format signed versions aimed at maximising sales for a higher chart entry, no drip drip video single roll out to build the hype. Until today, very few people knew this was coming, only those lucky 388. The band spent just two weeks, alone in the studio, crafting songs that recaptured their early joy for simply being, a joy that is beautifully put to tape.
Refind the feeling, and pass it on.
Buy 388 here.
UK LIVE DATES
FRIDAY 12 JUNE, Southampton
Southampton Summer Sessions
THURSDAY 18 JUNE, Halifax
The Piece Hall
SATURDAY 27 – SUNDAY 28 JUNE, State Fayre 2026
Hylands Park, Chelmsford
SUNDAY 12 JULY, Walton-on-Thames
Apps Court Farm
SATURDAY 18 – SUNDAY 19 JULY, We are Wirral 2026
Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead
THURSDAY 23 – SUNDAY 26 JULY, Rock Oyster Festival 2026
Rock Oyster Festival, Wadebridge
FRIDAY 28 – SUNDAY 30 AUGUST, Victorious Festival 2026
Castle Field, Southsea
SATURDAY 29 AUGUST, Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe Park & Gardens
Follow The Coral at thecoral.co.uk, or on Facebook, X and Instagram.
~
Words by Nathan Whittle. Find his Louder Than War archive here.
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