The band return with their 2nd album.
Photo: Charles Agall
Corella are back with their sophomore album A Beautiful World To Lose and, just like the last album, what a clever title it is. The band have taken a different approach with this album, diversifying from their classic joyous sound to explore darker topics and sounds. What remains the same is how well these tracks will translate into a live setting as part of their highly energetic live shows. Frontman Joel Smith highlighted, “We wanted to challenge ourselves”, as they have all grown and developed since their previous album.
Kicking off proceedings with lead single Rewire, this has been a track knocking about in their live sets for quite a while. I remember the excitement of the crowd hearing it at the O2 Academy Leeds when they toured with Circa Waves. This is a proper attitude-filled number with Smith spitting out the lyrics over hefty drumbeats and deep layers of guitar. It serves as a mirror to the content of the song, with Smith describing “our frustration from simply observing that people maybe have to be ‘rewired’ to think a certain way — also to challenge the status quo.” This is one way to introduce an album: in your face, no messing about, huge walls of sound.
What’s The Use utilises several changes of pace, from a soft introduction to rapid verses and more emotional choruses. Smith’s vocals soar in pitch over gliding guitars in a battle to reach each other in the choruses as the melodies boom in your ears. There are elements of desperation throughout the melodies that really add depth to the track. This ties into the hopelessness people can feel when they’re getting off track in life.
Lost A Friend may use their classic sound that makes them so recognisable, but the lyrics are the complete opposite. The band delve into really deep emotional themes of the grief behind losing someone so important to you. The band have definitely gone down the more relatable route with this album as they tackle more topical content reflected in the deeper layers of sound they’ve progressed into. Bassist Ben Henderson commented on songs on the album that “lean into that vulnerability we were reaching for,” reflecting on the huge learning curve it has been for the band.
Simple Life was the second single released prior to the album. You know when it’s Smith singing over gorgeous soft guitar riffs supplied by Jack Taylor in an isolated intro, you’re in for a real treat. This track is no different. Rapid choruses decorated by calculated drum riffs from James Fawcett portray the opposite of Lost A Friend, with a focus on the happier moments needed to stay positive in life. This is one I see exploding in their live sets without a doubt.
Bitter End sees a return to the heavier parts of this album; it’s great to see how dynamic the band have become on this record, a far cry from their previous. The guitars are fierce, tearing through the airspace as the drums boom in the eardrums.
All I Want is a gorgeous ballad track but with a less typical intense drumbeat that complements the soaring guitar lines and vocals. The bass from Henderson commands the verses and epic bridge to keep an intensity when the other instruments dim down. This track was a personal favourite and really showed the band’s newfound vulnerability.
Wolf conjures a new character with two sides, exuding confident swagger but an internal struggle with insecurities. The guitars on this one show such an extreme change to their sound as they plummet in pitch. This track delivers the wonderful vocal partnership between Smith and Henderson as Smith’s laugh reverberates.
Thunder Strike was the last track released prior to the album to give the fans the final taste of what was to come. Working with indie legend Kieran Shudall from Circa Waves, the track opens an honest conversation about the fight of being in a band. The choruses suck you into the eye of the storm of this track, grabbing your full attention as the melodies continue to heighten.
Bringing the album to a clean conclusion is Note to Self. Another beautiful ballad that flows so smoothly, with tender vocals gliding together over the more joyous guitar riffs we all know and love. This reflects that, even if the odds are stacked against you, the fight is never over, as hope is laced throughout this final track to end the album on a positive note.
A Beautiful World To Lose is another fabulous effort from Corella, building and maturing from their first album Once Upon A Weekend, released in 2024. With more ferocious guitars and heartfelt lyrics, they have brought a brand-new energy — I can’t wait to hear these tracks live.
A Beautiful World To Lose is out now via FLG.