Castell Are Lost In An 80s ‘Beach Coma’

Discover Castell’s irresistible 80s-tinged synth pop.

Castell – ‘Beach Coma’

Writing this from London, where it has been raining literally since I woke up this morning, and the concept of dryness is but a distant memory, a beach sounds pretty damn good right now. Sometimes happiness is as easy as ‘some colour on my face’ – something which Castell illustrates in ‘Beach Coma’. 

Castell is a retro-pop act hailing from Essex in the UK. Describing themselves as ‘somewhere between here and 1987’, this is their debut single.

‘Beach Coma’ is a glittering synth-pop-rock track with a heavy 80s influence and a leave-the-world-behind spirit.

The lyrics capture a sense of hedonism and disorientation with lines like ‘Last night passed out with the lights on’, and show a sense of humour with the titular line, ‘if you can’t reach my number, I’m laying in a beach coma’. There are hints of a darker undertone with lines like ‘these white hot sands I recline on burn up all the lasting pain’, but generally this is an upbeat track. The melodies echo classic pop, and the lead vocals are energetic, particularly on the memorable chorus. 

The production begins with an ominous rumble before bursting into bright, beachy, Miami-esque guitars. With glittering synth riffs and sparkling pads, the sultry guitars add a rock edge, complete with power strums and solos, along with rocking beats. With tight harmonies, there are callbacks to acts like Phil Collins, Simple Minds, Wham and more, without sounding too dated. A strong debut single for your new wave playlists. 

Discover more from Castell

Discover more on Right Chord Music

Words Eden Tredwell