Beneath the downpouring rain and the bright stage lights on Stokes Lawn, pop rock band COIN made a stop in Chestnut Hill, Mass. during its Uncanny Valley tour to headline Stokes Set 2023, hosted by the Campus Activities Board. Students—most in sweatpants or pajamas—piled into the muddy venue to see COIN take the stage.
With 3.4 million listeners on Spotify, COIN has garnered attention for its upbeat and catchy songs, notably “Talk Too Much” and “Chapstick”, which peaked at No. 8 and No. 15, respectively, on Billboard’s list of top alternative songs.
In front of a raincoat-clad crowd, opener DJ FRANK warmed up the crowd with a mashup of pop hits, including “Mr. Brightside” and “Party in the U.S.A”.
Almost two hours after doors opened, COIN walked onstage with poise, class, and confidence. The band jumped right into an explosive guitar mashup of “Learning” and “Watering A Dead Flower,” a masterclass in energetic performance. COIN wasted no time flying into its hits “Chapstick” and “Cutie,” blending them together perfectly with punchy guitar riffs and raw vocals.
“Boston College, hello,” Chase Lawrence, COIN’s lead singer, said. “Thank you for spending your rainy Saturday evening with us. Can we just lose our minds for 30 seconds, is that alright?”
He promptly led into the feel-good ballad “Valentine.” The band’s song “Into My Arms” went heavy on the guitars and kick, with a blazing fast, energetic tempo. The song teetered between pop and rock, with a bridge that started slow but escalated into a high-energy chorus.
“Does anyone want an apple?” Lawrence asked after “Into My Arms.”
COIN derived its genius stage presence from how nonchalantly the band mates acted. After introducing the band members, Lawrence stopped, reached into a plastic bag full of apples, and tossed a few into the crowd.
After its lively prelude, the band switched up to a much slower, angsty love song in “You Are the Traffic” and continued with “Youuu,” featuring a powerful vocal chorus from Lawrence. A percussive instrumental and dreamy a capella synth followed in “Sprite,” a song from their 2021 album Rainbow Mixtape.
Guitarist Joe Memmel sang “Take the Stairs,” and Lawrence returned to vocals for the psychedelic slow song “Malibu 1992” from COIN’s 2017 album How Will You Know If You Never Try. COIN held the audience’s attention to the end, finishing out its setlist with its hit song “Talk Too Much,” followed by crowd favorite “Crash My Car.”
“Everyone good, healthy, hydrated?” Lawrence said. “It’s infinitely easier to stay inside right now, but you chose to be here, and we’re so grateful for that.”
Lawrence was thriving in the spotlight. He kissed bassist Matt Martin on the cheek, took a bite out of an apple mid-performance, and lifted his mic stand five feet in the air so the crowd could sing the chorus to “Talk Too Much.”
Throughout the performance Lawrence and COIN created a sense of community between the band and the students in the crowd.
“Right now, we are COIN,” Lawrence said.
