COIN, an alternative and indie pop band, recently released a new album titled “Dreamland.” It debuted on Feb. 21, and focuses on sounds that encompass what may be heard in a “Dreamland.” COIN successfully creates the intended atmosphere and it results in an overall enjoyable album that is full of character.

This album is certainly a good listen, but it does not completely escape my criticism. In some of the songs such as “Youuu,” the instrumental audio can be overbearingly loud, which drowns out the artist’s voice. While this may not be an issue to everyone, I believe that taking the instrumental audio down a couple notches would not have hurt the overall sound of the album. There was only one other thing that I had a problem with, which was COIN’s stylistic element of an almost whisper voice in songs such as “Heaven Hearted” and “Let it All Out.” I was not a fan of the whispering as it sounded eerily close to ASMR, which is a definite no from me.

The album does a lot of things very well that balance out any shortcomings it may have. One aspect of the album that really stands out in the album is the atmosphere it creates. Songs such as “Babe Ruth” use a heavy mix of horns and synthesizer to create what I can only describe as a ‘head in the clouds’ sensation. The song “Dreamland Sequence” is entirely dedicated to make this dreamy vibe come to life and it does so very well. Another positive aspect that can be found in nearly every song in the album is the use of echoing the singer’s lyrics. By echoing the sounds, it further enhances the “Dreamland” atmosphere, which I definitely appreciated as it had a relaxing effect on me. Throughout the album, I also found myself really enjoying the melodic tunes that are in some of the songs, like “Cemetery.” COIN definitely shows off their musical talent and their artistic creativity in this album.

Overall, this album is a success. The masterful storytelling and atmosphere creation that COIN does in this album makes it great. Together, the songs create a truly utopian sound that I am able to relax to. I would recommend this album to pretty much anyone that is a fan of electronic and pop music. It is a very well executed album that will definitely have some songs making an appearance on my playlist.