You’re already loving the new EP by COACH PHILLIPS, right?? Chill male/female-vox indie pop with some garage/slacker-rock vibes, straight from my suddenly-now-sunny home of Seattle. Or another excellent way to describe it came from the wonderful Tori at WUOG: “such a great synthesis of tweemo and post-country”. YES. I also love how Kaili McDonald of WLOY described a favorite track: “’Lake MI (Dream),’ like the whole EP, is really really great.” TRUE. I actually was lucky enough to work as a house manager for a show they played recently (via one of my other jobs!), and see them play live for my first time. They covered Jay Som which led to my realization that Jay Som is totally a solid RIYL band for these guys. (I know it’s a white guy on the EP cover but just FYI while I’m comparing this band to Jay Som, and because recognizing & representing WOC musicians is important, I’ll note that there’s a v cool Asian-American woman who gets pretty equal time as bandleader/singer when ya see Coach Phillips live!) This EP keeps on climbing the NACC charts: we’ve spent 4 weeks on the Top 200 so far (after hitting #19 Most Added in Week 1), so far peaking at #142. YEAH!! This band came to me via the recommendation of 2015 Band Mom artist San Juan, and then I later found out that Coach Phillips’ drummer, Chet, also played in 2015 Band Mom band Pocket Panda! Seattle’s music scene isn’t quite THAT small of a world but on the other hand I guess sometimes it is. Anyway I’d locate this band’s sound somewhere between Melbourne’s Dick Diver and Seattle’s own Car Seat Headrest (with that added pinch of Jay Som to taste). Highly recommended! And it’s only a 5 track EP so it doesn’t take a lot for you to dig into it – what are you waiting for?!
COACH PHILLIPS
LEARNING HOW TO SWIM
Self-Released
Coach Phillips is a Seattle-based indie pop/rock band currently comprised of Wade Phillips, Jessica Kim, and Chet Baughman. Founded in the summer of 2017, Coach Phillips was fused when Wade and Chet moved into Fremont’s historic Fitch/Nutt house, Jess moved into a house just down the street, and a series of house-shows followed shortly after.
With less than a year under their belt, the band’s maturity belies its youth. Prior to Coach Phillips’s formation, Wade spent years developing a solo set that culminated in the midst of a traumatic breakup (which found him sleeping on friends’ couches before eventually moving into a Seattle community center). Impressed with the raw emotion in Wade’s songwriting after watching a set that was accompanied by classmate Jess, Chet—a classically trained saxophonist—decided he wanted in on the project and quickly picked up the drums to round out the group.
The Learning How to Swim EP is the debut release from Coach Phillips, and was recorded at the Fitch/Nutt house with the help of former bassist and Chicago-based recording engineer Justice Reed; the EP is characterized by guitar-driven songs which feature a mix of witty, romantic, and melancholic lyrics that tackle life’s numerous growing pains.
“Now this is one low-slung piece of jangle pop…” – Kevin Hugger, MP3 Hugger
“An infectious sound oozing positivity” – Xune Mag
RIYL: Jay Som, Fountains of Wayne, Ratboys, Dick Diver, The Obsessives, Waxahatchee, Weezer, Pavement, Cloud Nothings, Pocket Panda, Car Seat Headrest
Start With: 1, 2, 3 FCC CLEAN
Contact me for a download link if you’re a radio rep!
https://www.coachphillipsband.com/
the band mom loves you 
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