CTRL+Space has been a massive fan of Coe Hill and has been waiting for this EP for months. Finally, we get to review Coe Hill’s Vol I: Maybe Next Year!
Coe Hill is a collaborative music project based out of Toronto, Canada, born through a creative outlet during the COVID-19 quarantine. Lead by Doug Heiser, who used the time and confinement at home to write several songs grounded in the Post-Hardcore genre that combines elements of Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock, and Emo. Teaming up with producer and engineer friend Kyle Marchant (credits with Silverstein, Comeback Kid, Rarity, Stick To Your Guns), the two worked together to refine each song and further develop each track, ultimately taking everything to the next level. Instead of going the route of finding a permanent singer, the idea became to expand the horizons by recruiting a feature/guest vocalist for each track. The people involved in this record come from all walks of life, different music scenes but share the common goal of making great music. Each collaborator will be announced as the music comes out for release; some you will have heard, others may be new for you to discover, be sure to follow and stay connected for the upcoming releases as well as future volumes of collaborations.
Connect with Coe Hill via his Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, and Linktree.
Vol I: Maybe Next Year is a Post-Hardcore/Pop-Punk/Alternative Rock masterstroke of genius! Each track has a guest vocalists, so each track is 100% fresh and feels completely unique. Vol I: Maybe Next Year consists of:
- Warning
- Ghosts
- One Year Later
- Edge of Collapse
- Deadweight
“Warning” starts heavy and sets an intense stage for the EP. The track has powerful riffs in the verse and a driving chorus that definitely will have you banging your head. Fans of Beartooth and Linkin Park would completely get lost in this track. Sean Thomas from Devil in the Details provided his raspy vocals to top this banger off.
The second track on this EP is my personal favorite. “Ghost” has strong Emo influences and would have any Silverstein fan singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs. The energy of the song varies in the best way possible. The verses slowly build in energy until it explodes in the chorus. The chorus can be classified as an earworm because it takes over your mind, and all you can think about is that melody! Mike Julian from Rival Town came to the rescue in this track and provided his sweet vocals to this tune!
“One Year Later” is unique in that it has two featured artists from different bands. Jason Esallem of Nightwell vocals for the bridge and Simon Austin of Incase We Crash threw down the vocals for the verses and choruses. Thanks to Nightwell’s drummer Terrance Pettitt and Coe Hill’s fantastic writing, this track has a great groove. Simon Austin’s vocal performance was dynamic and memorial. He went from breathy vocals in the verse, soaring vocals in the chorus, and screams in the bridge. Any fan of Saosin or Silverstein would eat this track up!
Track four is “Edge of Collapse” and was fronted by Tyler Small from Saving Vice. The chorus of this track completely slaps and is guaranteed to get stuck in your head! “Is there any time left to sort out what’s in my head?” are lyrics that anyone could relate to. Then the bridge comes in with, “We all break, we all break down.” Considering those reading this made it through the horror show of 2020; everyone could completely empathize with that statement. Fans of Underoath and Saosin, this track is a must have!
Closing the EP is “Deadweight,” and it is anything but dead weight! This track is the perfect closer to the EP. This track is the ideal blend of Emo and Post-Hardcore! Fans of Underoath, Saosin, Thrice, and Thursday will be delighted when they hear this! The song is about someone coming to a revelation about something in their life and this, too, is a real, relatable theme. Hayden Trobee from Tigerwine sang on this badass track!
Overall, Vol I: Maybe Next Year is filled with hot bangers that fans of Emo, Post-Hardcore, and Pop-Punk would be overjoyed to listen to. This EP should be a required listening to students if anyone teaches a class on Post-Hardcore music. Vol I: Maybe Next Year gets CTRL+Space’s seal of approval and dubs this EP easily the Post-Hardcore EP of the season! You need this EP on your playlist now!
