Coin (often stylized as COIN) is an American pop rock band formed in 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. It currently consists of Chase Lawrence (lead vocals, synthesizers), Ryan Winnen (drums), and Joe Memmel (lead guitar, backing vocals).
The band originally released two EPs, one in 2012 (Saturdays) and one in 2013 (1992). They subsequently gained mainstream attention in 2015 with the lead single "Run" from their self-titled debut album, which was produced by Jay Joyce and released later the same year by Columbia.
The group gained further success in 2016 with the lead single "Talk Too Much" from the band's second studio album, How Will You Know If You Never Try, which was released on April 21, 2017. The song was their first to chart on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.[7]
History
2012–2014: Early years
Coin was formed in 2012 by Chase Lawrence, Ryan Winnen, Joe Memmel, and Zach Dyke. Lawrence, Memmel and Dyke were students at Belmont University. Lawrence and Memmel were classmates who often sat next to each other in music theory classes.[8] After they decided to try writing music together, Winnen and Dyke were introduced to them through mutual friends. The band then decided that they needed recorded music in order for promoters to book them to play live, so they recorded four songs at their school and released them for free on the internet. When they started playing local shows around Nashville, the band quickly attracted a highly enthusiastic and loyal live following. Prior to the release of their debut album, they released two EPs: Saturdays in late 2012, and 1992 in 2013. The song "Atlas" was released as a single in August 2013 from the EP 1992.[9] "Time Machine" was released as a non-album single in October 2013.[10] Both "Atlas" and "Time Machine" were later re-recorded and put on the band's debut album. In March 2014, the band released a re-recorded version of their song, "It's Okay", as a non-album single.[11]
Chase Lawrence of Coin performing in 2019
2015: Coin
The group released their single, "Run", in early 2015 and were hailed by Billboard as "new wave crash-course survivors," destined to "break the Nashville mold."[2] The song received positive reviews, as well as heavy airplay on Sirius' Alt Nation radio station. On June 9, 2015, the band released their self-titled debut album Coin, produced by Jay Joyce. Looking back, the band called the record "precious," as well as admitting "there are a lot of little things that will always be a part of [their] DNA from that album."[12]
2016–2018: How Will You Know if You Never Try
After touring for the release of their first album, the band released the first single from their second album in May 2016, "Talk Too Much".[3] In February 2017, the band released "I Don't Wanna Dance" as the next single from their forthcoming album.[13] In March 2017, a re-recorded version of their song "Malibu" from their EP 1992 was released as the first promotional single, re-titled "Malibu 1992."[14] Two weeks later on March 23, 2017, the group announced the title of their second album: How Will You Know If You Never Try.[15] Following the announcement of the album, the band released the second promotional single, "Feeling," on March 31, 2017. The album was released worldwide on April 21, 2017.[16][17]
On February 8, 2018, the single, "Growing Pains", was released as a follow-up to the 2017 album.[citation needed]
2018–2020: Dreamland
After releasing How Will You Know If You Never Try, they gradually released the singles "Simple Romance," "Cemetery," "I Want it All,"[18] and "Crash My Car." Their third album, Dreamland, was released on February 21, 2020 on their own independent label, The Committee for Sound & Mind and AWAL.
In 2020, they announced their Dreamland Tour that was set to cover several states across the United States. However, they were forced to postpone several shows on this tour due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Coin performing at MGM Music Hall at Fenway on 9/23/2022
2021–2023: Rainbow Mixtape and Uncanny Valley
On September 18, 2020, Coin returned with a new single, You Are The Traffic. This was the first release from a new EP, Indigo-Violet which released on October 22, 2020. Just three weeks earlier, the band announced a new project titled Rainbow Mixtape which would be 12 songs split into three different EPs that each represented a different color of the rainbow. They described the record as an exploration of "all the colors we can create together," nodding to the project's sonic differences from their older work.[12] One of the key messages of the project is "Don't turn your back on the ones who don't turn their back on you."[12]
In September 2021, Coin brought out a new single, Chapstick.[19] This marked the beginning of a new album cycle, culminating in the March 25, 2022 release of the band's fourth studio album, Uncanny Valley, featuring fourteen new songs.[20] As part of the Uncanny Valley tour, Coin performed their largest show to date at MGM Music Hall at Fenway on September 23, 2022.
2024–Present: I'm Not Afraid of Music Anymore
On June 7, 2024, the band released a new song titled "Strawberry Jam" along with an accompanying music video on YouTube.[21]
On June 20, 2024, Coin announced their fifth studio album, I'm Not Afraid of Music Anymore, to be released on September 13, 2024.[22]
On July 12, 2024, the band released the album's second single titled "Take It Or Leave It" along with an accompanying music video on YouTube.[23] The album's third single, "Slack," was released on August 8, 2024.[24]
The album was released on September 13, 2024 via 10K Projects.[25]
Members
Current
Chase Lawrence – lead vocals, synths (2012–present)
Ryan Winnen – drums (2012–present)
Joe Memmel – guitars, backing vocals (2012–present)
Touring
Matt Martin – bass (2018–present)
Former
Zachary Dyke – bass (2012–2018)
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales, and certifications
Since their formation in 2012, the band has gone on several tours. In 2015, they opened for many artists including Neon Trees and Colony House. They also went on tour that year for the release of their self-titled debut album. In 2016, they continued opening for bands. Some of the groups they toured with include The 1975, Bad Suns, and Saint Motel.[60]
After the release of their second album, titled How Will You Know If You Never Try, they played 36 shows across the United States. The North American How Will You Know If You Never Try tour occurred during 2017 and 2018.[61] In October 2018, they played three shows in the Philippines as an extension of their previous tour.
In February and March 2019, they toured 13 venues on their Paradise of Thought tour. In Summer of 2019, they toured 24 cities, supporting Young the Giant and Fitz and the Tantrums.[61] In fall of 2019, they went on their Album 3 Part 1 tour where they played 23 locations across the US and Canada. Throughout the years, the band has also played several festivals including Lollapalooza, SandJam Festival, and Music Midtown.[60] On February 24, 2020, it was announced that they would be opening acts for Australian band, 5 Seconds of Summer, for the UK arena concert dates on their Take My Hand World Tour.[62] Initially set to take place between May 11, 2020, to May 21, 2020, the UK leg of the tour was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[63] The UK shows began on April 7, 2022, at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, with the band serving as the opening act for eight out of nine shows.[64][65]
The band announced the tour for their upcoming album, I'm Not Afraid of Music Anymore, on Instagram on June 21, 2024.[66] The North American tour spans September 29, 2024, through March 4, 2025. Alongside the album, the band released a branding package based on the album's name, including a website that generates text so fans can fill in the blank and post a custom "I'm Not Afraid of ___ Anymore" image on social media. The tour was subsequently named "I'm Not Afraid of Tour Anymore."
Headlining
How Will You Know If You Never Try Tour (2017–2018)
