Following the release of their self-titled demo, Crystal Coast has had new-found success along the Emerald Coast. Released primarily for cassette and digital download, the track list features the gritty, youthful clamour of the track “Heat Wave” (adapted from Makeout Videotape’s jizz jazz masterpiece) to the smooth, meloncholic vibes of “Ten Years” and the synth-driven pop cry of “Cat and Mouse”. This release has been simply described as “holy shit” by fellow local musician, Amanda Martins. Expecting a second wave of demos in the near future with sounds such as the synth rock anthem of “Eden” and the nostalgic simplicity of “Sail Away”, Crystal Coast hopes to maintain it’s DIY character while reaching out to a wider audience with more accessible hits.
The history of Crystal Coast starts with the songwriting duo, Ursaria, in Pensacola, Florida in 2014 with current band member, Cooper Dalrymple, and fellow musician, Colleen Mason. Though short-lived in the time of two months, they founded an atmosphere of reverberant acoustic melodies and withdrawn vocals. Upon relocating to Tampa, Florida, Cooper further developed this sound with a full-length solo release, “Penalara”, and a more wholesome 3-track release, “White River”.
Now merged with fellow Tampanian musicians, Jared Hanlon, Gabriel Martinez, and John Becerra, Cooper began developing some of the fundamental sounds of Crystal Coast: indie angst, pop exuberance, and delicate lyricism. Performing with the likes of artists such as Givers, Triathalon, Supros, and Empire Cinema, tracks such as “Ten Years” and “Cat and Mouse” began to emerge past the scope of Ursaria. Unfortunately, this new incarnation never produced any official releases in its 14 month stretch. The vision of Crystal Coast traveled with Cooper along the road back to Pensacola where he quickly met with band members, Ryan Post and Eric Moehler, and began playing concerts throughout Northwest Florida. During this period, they released the 5-track indie rock demo album, “Crystal Coast I”, which mostly made its way around the inner circles of Pensacola.
Escaping the heated summer months of Pensacola, Crystal Coast reorganized itself once more by adding keyboardists Corey Jess and Nick Atkins. After a few months of collaborating, the second 6-track release, “Crystal Coast II”, showcased more of the electronic side of the band. Featuring songs such as “Lovey-Dovey”, “Sail Away”, and “Utopia”.
After playing their final show in spring of 2017, Cooper went into hiatus to begin development on “Crystal Coast III” which was finally released in December of 2017. This third 8-track installment blurred the lines between indie rock, electronic, and post-rock featuring tracks such as “Fool’s Gold”, “Twenty-Four”, and “Parcel”.
With a new batch of carefully crafted songs, Crystal Coast is playing once more with new friends Samantha Earley on bass, Lucky Wright on guitar, and Ian Be on drums.
