The Coronas: True Love Waits review – The same but different

It’s somewhat of a surprise that this is actually the sixth studio album from a band who have been together for more than 13 years. The Coronas have a Peter Pan ability to retain a perception that they’re a fresh young band just out of Terenure College.

However, it hasn’t been all Mexican beer and skittles in the Coronas camp of late. The quartet are now a trio after last year’s departure of guitarist Dave McPhillips, which made the remaining members seriously consider calling it a day. This year had a further sting in the tale because of you know what and that little matter of the band’s name. “I’d swap The Coronas with The Vaccines,” quipped Danny O’Reilly.

Yet they soldier valiantly on with an album called True Love Waits, which is also the name of the final track on the last Radiohead album, A Moon Shaped Pool. On the opening title track, O’Reilly sings “F*** that, take a chance”, which is not exactly the kind of profanity you’d expect from the Coronas. It sums up both their current mindset to the band and taking a risk with a new relationship, which becomes the prevalent theme of True Love Waits.

The Coronas do what they do best: create memorable pop-rock custom-made for the arena circuit. It is no dramatic reinvention, but rather a skilful distillation of their essential selves in the face of losing a member and having their name robbed by a plague.