“Rockhounds“, the latest single from Seattle’s Coral Grief, is calm on the surface, quietly exhilarating underneath — a dreamy motorik groove wrapped in gentle existential shimmer.
There’s a crispness to the track that’s instantly addictive. The drums move with a propulsive lightness, like they’re tiptoeing instead of thundering, while synths and guitars blur at the edges like salt spray in late sunlight. Lena Farr Morrissey’s voice floats above it all — soft but grounded, like someone humming a half-thought-out truth to themselves. And just when you think the track might drift off into a haze, that chorus hits — not loud, but deep. “I won’t give up even if there’s nothing to find“, Morrissey sings, like a mantra for anyone digging through the messy sands of their 20s looking for something — anything — to hold onto.
Despite its motorik beat and dreamy atmosphere, “Rockhounds” doesn’t drift. It pulses. It’s grounded. There’s a 90s indie-rock soul in here too, subtle but satisfying — think a less cynical Yo La Tengo or a more crystalline Blonde Redhead. And much like the beachcombing that inspired it, the song feels like a meditation on effort without outcome, joy without arrival. The search itself becomes the point. The music video, jumping between beach scenes and candy-coloured kaleidoscope visuals, taps into that same liminal magic: playful, patient, and more than a little hypnotic.
About Coral Grief:
Coral Grief, for the unfamiliar, is the Seattle-based trio of Lena Farr Morrissey, Sam Fason, and Cam Hancock — part of a West Coast wave reshaping dream pop into something quieter, weirder, and more emotionally precise. Their debut EP came together during lockdown, all DIY from home, and that same close-knit, handcrafted feel still lingers in their sound. With their full-length LP “Air Between Us” arriving this July via Suicide Squeeze, Den Tapes, and Anxiety Blanket Records, this track feels like the perfect tide-pool preview of what’s to come.
You might not find any seashells, but you’ll walk away feeling like you found something better.
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