Caught On the Wrist

Brooklyn's Coastal Drag present emotional indie guitar rock on their debut, Caught on the Wrist. The opening track, "In Love With Palm Trees," which one seems to think is going to set the tone for the record, is a bit deceiving. Coastal Drag conjure up moody post-rock deep into the first track only to switch to mediocre guitar distortion and screamo emo vocal stylings, kind of killing the mood they took time to establish. Throughout Caught on the Wrist, one can hear the faint echoes of Sebadoh, Pavement, and June of 44 with quiet guitar twinkles and loose structures. Individual parts on Caught on the Wrist seem to shine more than the overall tracks, and Coastal Drag need to explore these parts more. Mary Andrews backing vocals add emotional depth to the dissonant guitars, and the ripping solos of Joshua Deeter and Tyler Dickson add an element of Dinosaur Jr.. "Here Come the Helicopters" is a delicate, epic highlight that weaves pop elements into distorted fury. The production of Caught on the Wrist is interesting in its live feel, thick reverb, and odd distortion, which at times results from peaking levels — Coastal Drag sound like they are playing indie rock in a huge, distant room made of cardboard walls. They pull a lot of tricks that have been heard before, but hint at interesting directions, and with a little more polishing of their instincts could prove to be a powerful New York force.