UK pop punk really has become an all-encompassing force recently. Whereas once upon a time, you’d have been hard pushed to name such an act outside some obscure ‘90s relic, nowadays you can hardly move for them, with Birmingham’s Coast To Coast being one of many competing for the limelight on their debut EP ‘Dwell’.

But whereas most new pop punk bands go to directly emulate the typical Story So Far-esque style, there are distinct flavours of pop rock and alt rock mixed into Coast To Coast’s sound. It’s a particularly worthwhile inclusion, given the near half-and-half ratio between pop punk and alt rock. Frontman Kei Hyland’s vocals are more than a bit reminiscent of Lower Than Atlantis’s Mike Duce at times, especially on pensive acoustic number ‘Bunkbeds’, and there’s an insatiably meaty bounce to ‘Cornerstone’.

There are no wheels being reinvented here, but even at only a meagre three-and-a-bit tracks, there’s a lot to like about Coast To Coast. It never takes itself too seriously (which can be a problem with bands like the aforementioned Story So Far), and Hyland’s prominent Brummie accent certainly stands out from the genre’s swathes of copy-of-a-copy frontmen.

There’s still a way to go yet before Coast To Coast can be tipped as the next big pop punk stars, but at the very least ‘Dwell’ sees them on the right track. With a bit more to go on, this will be a band definitely worth keeping an eye on.

3.5/5

‘Dwell’ EP by Coast To Coast is released on 8th April on Fox Records

Coast To Coast links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Words by Luke Nuttall (@nuttall_luke)