In My Coma
Toronto, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | INDIE
Music
Press
Toronto’s In My Coma (a band I’ve been watching for some time now) have just released a video for “We Are One,” the second single from their Next Life album. How hard was it gathering 40 friends and family for this shoot? - Alan Cross: A Journal of Musical Things
Alan Cross played In My Coma's song "Take A Ride" on 102.1 The Edge. - 102.1 The Edge
Toronto-based band, In My Coma, is releasing Next Life, their sophomore album, today. This emotionally-driven and dark album was produced by Mark Makoway (Moist) and is the follow-up to the delightful Magnets & Miracles. I first discovered In My Coma at concert in 2015 when they opened up for Canadian rockers, Moist, and was instantly drawn into their beautifully layered songs. Magnets & Miracles became the soundtrack for my road trips and for any time that I wanted to just escape into the music. Having heard a few of the new songs from Next Life at recent shows, my appetite for the new album was growing rapidly. Next Life is a near perfect sequel and demonstrates the sonic progression they have cultivated since the release of their debut album in 2011.
Their trademark sound settles somewhere between 90’s alternative rock and 80’s synth pop. Next Life builds off of this framework but adds the lush elements of a richer guitar tone, darker synth sounds and more profound lyrics. It is everything that a sophomore album should be! I admire that In My Coma has not strayed from the sound that brought the band together, but rather have breathed life into it and allowed it to evolve and flourish.
Next Life features 10 tracks, including “Desperate Man”, which the band describes as a song that acts as a metaphor for life, careers, relationships and creativity in general, as it delivers the message of pushing through the barriers one may experience. Also on the album in the single, “Take a Ride”, which was inspired by the mythology of the Sirens and imparts the duality of beauty and death together. These songs are so much more than merely being riff-driven rock songs. They are unexpectedly cerebral and really give me pause.
It was almost impossible to select my favourite musical moment on the album. “Throw It All Away” had a slight edge on the other tracks and had my interests peaked right away. I could feel the collective contributions of the band’s four members most fully in this song. Lead singer and guitar player Jasper James combined his appealing vocals with the distorted and aggressive guitar riffs to match Laura Doll’s driving bass lines and Mike Paterson’s upbeat tempo on the drums. Lindz Clark’s melodies were arranged to give her more of an upfront presence in the song, highlighting her remarkable talent on the keys. If you are going to preview the album, be sure to give “Throw It All Away” a play!
Next Life is an intensely slick demonstration of In My Coma’s incredible artistry. This soaring musical statement also serves to ground and centre you as you take to exploring the deeper meaning of the often dichotomous lyrics. Whether you need an excuse to kick back with some great music or an energizing life to get you moving, Next Life is an aural journey worth taking. - Canadian Beats
Alternative rockers from southwestern Ontario, In My Coma, made a stop in Barrie recently to perform music from their debut album, Magnets & Miracles, as well as some brand new songs that they created with producer Mark Makoway, from Canadian alt rock band, Moist. This show came with heavy anticipation for me as I saw them perform twice before and was instantly hooked on their music. Even when I saw them perform a strictly acoustic set when they opened for Jeff Martin of The Tea Party this past summer, it is evident that they have mastered what few bands can achieve, in that they do not cast themselves in the traditional rock n’ roll music template. Their sound is aggressive and full, thanks in part to the addition of Lindsay Clark on keyboard to their already stellar lineup of Jasper James (vocals/guitar), Laura Doll (vocals/bass) and Mike Paterson (drums). Losing Sleep is a highlight for me on their album and it definitely shone in their most recent performance. The song is complex, with the crisp, clean vocals of James that pair so perfectly with the heavy synth and powerful guitar riffs. The complicated rhythms were timed perfectly by the heavy handed Paterson and are vitally important to the progression of the song’s dark feel.
My only complaint was that their performance was too short. Although they played a set of traditional length, I simply wanted more as I could have sat and listened to them play for hours. Offstage this band also gained bonus points for how incredibly warm and friendly (and funny!) they were. I had the opportunity to interview them for Canadian Beats and you can check out this interview on our web site. For those in Fort Erie, stop by Sessions on the River on January 15th to check out their intimate set that will include new tunes and old favourites. If you are not in the area, In My Coma has announced that they will be streaming this show live online. Check out their Facebook page for more details. - Canadian Beats
"You rocked at the Danforth In My Coma!" - John Connors @JohnConnors99
"In My Coma, heard you guys for the first time last night, really liked your stuff, especially the harder stuff. Keep on rockin!" - Evan Slevin @chocopirate
"Go hard or home! 30 minutes wasn't nearly long enough!" - Erika Virtanen @IRockNotRoll
"Singer-guitarist Jasper James rocking the house" - Bill Smith @billcs
"Keep an eye out for these guys" - @themadash
"Great set you put on a rocking show tonight and have a new fan. Thanks for sticking around afterwards." - Jeff Wright via Facebook
"Awesome performance by In My Coma last night at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto!" - Pete McCormick @petemccormick22 - In My Coma
"Everyone should check out In My Coma!" - @MelAlAhmad
"Great performance!!! Loved it!" - Marlene Jean via Facebook - In My Coma
Lead singer Jasper James formed In My Coma in 2006 with bassist LauraDoll, but it wasn’t until 2010 after they responded to drummer Mike Paterson’s Craigslist ad, that the band really came together. “My passion is writing music and experimenting in the studio with different instruments and different sounds,” says James. “Whereas LauraDoll and Mike have a particular affection for the live performance.” Dubbing their sound as “Briternative,” a combination of Britpop and alternative rock, the Canadian trio won’t stop until they get their name out there in a big way. “I see the band more often than I see my friends and family,” says James. “That’s dedication to a craft.” - Alternative Press Issue #290
Alan Cross, esteemed music historian and radio personality, gives In My Coma's debut album, "Magnets & Miracles" the nod of approval.
Alan Cross has also featured In My Coma's track "Losing Sleep" on his list of "Songs you have to hear." - A Journal of Musical Things
Alan Cross, esteemed music historian and radio personality, gives In My Coma's debut album, "Magnets & Miracles" the nod of approval.
Alan Cross has also featured In My Coma's track "Losing Sleep" on his list of "Songs you have to hear." - A Journal of Musical Things
Sometimes the musical landscape out there gets frustrating to deal with: stale, uninspired and dull.
In My Coma is a breath of fresh air to bring much needed new blood into rock music, melding the sound of their influences with their own melodic and dark approach.
Vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Jasper James perfectly crafts a mix of dark, hook-laden rock in the vein of The Cure, Depeche Mode and The Smiths along with modern, heavier riffs that would sound at home on a Placebo or A Perfect Circle record.
While the intense lyrical themes and the downbeat mood of the songs are in gloomy Nick Cave territory, In My Coma are incredible song smiths, with chord progressions and melodies being anything but predictable but infectiously catchy at the same time.
Radio rock for heavy music fans who don’t normally like radio rock. They bring an arsenal of Kyuss-style riffs and bass grooves to rival Tool.
The comparisons help to give an idea of their sound, but they hardly do justice to the individual, fresh and innovative sounds In My Coma delivers.
The band has worked hard over the last several years and has become a sought-after staple of the late night Toronto music scene and rightfully so.
Thepitmusic was lucky enough to catch In My Coma at 2011 Canadian Music Week and witnessed what this band is capable live: loud, tight, near-hypnotic grooves and riffs with stellar musicianship and incredible stage presence.
Their full-length debut is to be released on iTunes this month, so if you enjoy any branch of rock, In My Coma has something for you on their pallet.
Look for its release and get yourself a copy, and check ‘em out live. - The Pit Music
"When they come out with their first CD, they are going to infect our airwaves for sure."
"In My Coma has hungry fans wanting to hear more of their great music."
"Their addictive catchy songs hook the listener like a drug; you can't get enough of it." - HMTV Canada
"When they come out with their first CD, they are going to infect our airwaves for sure."
"In My Coma has hungry fans wanting to hear more of their great music."
"Their addictive catchy songs hook the listener like a drug; you can't get enough of it." - HMTV Canada
Discography
August 2011 - Magnets & Miracles (full length album - 15 tracks)
October 2017 - Next Life (full length album - 10 tracks)
Photos
Bio
From struggle comes strength, from perseverance comes professionalism and from passion comes creative excellence. For alternative rock band In My Coma, their new album Next Life is a landmark musical statement enveloped by epic arrangements, meshed with powerful melodies, insistent guitar riffs and a dark emotional intensity that infuses every note and every lyric.
Founded in 2010 by U.K.-born vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Jasper James and his partner, bassist LauraDoll, the band’s lineup was augmented with drummer Mike Paterson in 2011 and later by the addition of keyboardist Linz Clark in late 2015.
In My Coma has worked hard to build a solid fan base, touring coast-to-coast and sharing the stage with the likes of Sum 41, Moist, USS, and Neverending White Lights. They have enthralled audiences with their fresh, modern take and unique mix of Brit-Pop, 90s Alt-Rock with a dose of the emotionally darker side of the 80s synth-pop scene.
Next Life sees each member going ‘all in’ devoting their creative impetus and prodigious talent to make In My Coma the next truly exceptional Canadian rock band.
“We take every aspect of what we do seriously. Our attention to detail is off the charts and each time we play, each song we write, we get better and better,” said James.
Next Life was produced by Mark Makoway, co-founder of the Juno Award-winning band Moist, who has produced the likes of Hey Rosetta, Wide Mouth Mason and Colin James. “Mark captured the essence of the band’s energy by recording the tracks live off the floor, then brilliantly sculpted around that.
Everything about the process with Mark felt natural and unforced like he was letting each song guide the process, so the album feels exactly like what it was meant to be” said James.
Like a fiery crucible, a host of frustrations and challenges over the last few years have hardened the resolve of each member of In My Coma and have inspired the leave-it-all-on-the-stage intensity they bring to every show. James said that attitude has also grafted itself onto the creative process, spawning songs such as the title track for Next Life.
“It’s a song that has a lot of parallels with the struggles we’ve had as a band and speaks to a lot of the turmoil that everyone has in their lives. It’s kind of talking about a point in time when you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you still have some shred of hope,” James explained.
‘Desperate Man’ has a universal message of pushing through the barriers and the blocks to get to the fruitful end of the process – acting as a metaphor for life, for careers, for relationships, for creativity in general.
“There is this sense of impending doom and time running out and sometimes you feel like time is the enemy and that is kind of what I am saying in this song. There are a lot of references to time and a real sense of finality to it. And I think that feeling is applicable to so many things, so many goals, so many relationships in life,” James said.
The album’s first single, ‘Take a Ride’, aptly demonstrates In My Coma’s ability to convey emotional depth and complexity while still retaining the ability to create a solid memorable riff-oriented rock song.
“It’s a song that is really full of conflicting messages and imagery. The initial inspiration came from the mythology of the Sirens, who were both beautiful and deadly, and who lured sailors causing ships to be wrecked on the rocks. I love that dichotomy of beauty and death together,” James said, giving a great deal of credit to Makoway for helping he and his bandmates dig deeper creatively and performance wise than even they thought they could go.
There is an admirable persistence to the band that is conveyed through the music on Next Life – a barely harnessed energy that is bursting to be unleashed. But it is not reckless abandon, lashing out blindly, but rather a focused power that In My Coma uses to create songs that are instantly memorable and stage shows that are remarkably powerful.
After years of hard work, perseverance and dedication it’s all paying off, as In My Coma delivers a record of remarkable depth and artistic excellence – an album that insists upon repeat listens and the full attention of the listener.
Band Members
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