The Coltranes, hailing from Temecula, California, bring forward another release which is as eclectic as it is catchy. Man With The Hat, released in October of last year, follow up their previous release with yet another album which continues to show not only their musical talent, but also their eclectic music which I find difficult to pin down as one genre – and only makes this band and this release all the better because of it. Listeners of differing tastes are bound to find something that they like on this album – punks, hardcore fans and beyond will find themselves drawn to some aspect of The Coltranes, as songs flow from overtly hardcore parts into doom, punk and more. It is this mercurial characteristic of the music that seems to draw the listener in – rarely were there times in the songs that the listener could be absolutely sure what was coming, as in some hardcore and metalcore.

Label: HIP KID Records!

Introducing us to the album is the instrumental track “Insatiable,” hinting at noise, but quickly turning over to the next track, “Sweet,” which starts us off with the groove of guitar and drums that seems ever so present in this album. The title track, “Man with the Hat,” proves to be catchy: I cannot get the beginning out of my head. It travels over a distance of different genres, but always keeps a steady beat which the head can keep track of. “Ancient Tide” brings the tempo of the previous tracks down, but doesn’t deviate from its predecessor’s footsteps: the solid tempo, the eclecticism, the catchy riffs. “Flesh Design” is more along slower hardcore, and it continually slows down further, before blowing up into a faster riff and back into hardcore vibes. “The Joy of Life” begins sounding like the exact opposite of what its name would imply, and continues down that path throughout. The last track, “Fester”, is similar to the first track: noise, but with vocal sounds heavily distorted, ending this eclectic album on a dark note.

With this release, The Coltranes remain true to their previous albums, in that Man with the Hat takes varying genres and styles and blends them into one, conglomerate whole that stands as a separate, unique release from its fellow releases in 2013. While it may not be for everyone, everyone is bound to find something in it that they recognize and may respond to.