Northern Exposure (NXNE Edition): The Coast, 'Tigerlily' -- Free MP3

Northern Exposure is Spinner's MP3 column highlighting the best in new Canadian music. This week we feature some of the finest acts at Toronto's NXNE festival (June 14-20).

It's been a while since we've heard from Toronto quartet the Coast. After touring relentlessly to support their 2008 debut full-length 'Expatriate,' the purveyors of moody, lyrical indie-rock took some time to stay home and regroup before going back into the studio with producer Chris Stringer (Ohbijou, We're Marching On). Their follow-up, 'Queen Cities,' is slated for release in September on Aporia Records in Canada and Afternoon Records in the U.S.

As they traversed Canada, the U.S. and Europe, the band (formed in high school by two sets of best friends, including a brother duo) racked up the adventures, including sleeping in a ditch at a rest-stop in British Columbia and staying up until dawn eating fish pastries at Hamburg harbour in Germany. But it was their experience touring at home in Canada that inspired the title of their forthcoming record.

"We named it 'Queen Cities' because everywhere we traveled in Canada, some part of town was named after the Queen," singer-guitarist Ben Spurr tells Spinner. "It was comforting, but made us a little paranoid at the same time, like someone was watching us and leaving us clues."The band offers an exclusive free preview of their upcoming record with the track 'Tigerlily,' a shimmering indie-rock gem that suggests the band continues to build on the promise displayed on their debut.

Starting off in a deceptively subdued manner before erupting into the kind of epic rocker the band is known for, 'Tigerlily' centres around Spurr's distinctive raspy vocals and poetic narrative ( "We want daylight in our eyes/Black feathers on our chest/Green emeralds for our eyes"), bolstered by the dynamic guitar melodies that are a highlight of the Coast's sound.

The track isn't far removed from the blend of indie-rock, pop, and alt-country fans of the Coast have come to know and love, but also displays a promising growth in the band's songwriting. 'Tigerlily' opens with a striking organ melody, and cleverly brings it back into the mix at the finish before fading it out ever-so-gently. Many good songs start off on a high note, only to forget about crafting an equally strong ending -- not so here.

Where in the past the Coast often sounded like an amalgam of their admitted influences (U2, Springsteen), 'Tigerlily' hints at shades of contemporaries like Arcade Fire. While the band is aiming for something perhaps a little less grandiose than that, the heart-on-sleeve passion that echoes through 'Tigerlily' is no less stirring in scope, making for a remarkably assured return that will hopefully win them the wider audience their polished, accessible music deserves.

Download: The Coast, 'Tigerlily' (MP3)

The Coast plays at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom on Thursday, June 17 at midnight as part of NXNE.