by @thoughtontracks

The Coasts are back! I had my doubts as to the staying power of this long distance affair, but it appears that theirs is a love worth saving. Little Rock, AR singer and guitarist Ike Peters collaborated with college pal, drummer and Ohio native Eric Mount to create one of my favorite records of 2011. The Coasts’ self-titled debut touched upon Americana, blues and indie rock to intersect at the sweet spot of my musical tastes. Despite the distance, Mount and Peters are poised to release a follow-up. The five-track Santa Fe EP should see daylight sometime in December.

We find The Coasts picking up where they left off on the EP’s first single. “No One‘s Listening” is a rollicking, toe-tapper with a Johnny Cash backbone that, on the surface, meditates on the nihilist notion that music has no intrinsic meaning. In Peters’ view, “It’s all subjective” and as such any meaning is derived from the listener. In other words, if a song falls in the woods, is it really a song? This is a relevant debate in an era where independent artists’ success or failure is determined, in large part, by word of mouth.

Peters isn’t all doom and gloom. He still believes in a song’s potential to impact a listener. But he knows all too well that such a scenario requires the audience to take a chance. “No One’s Listening” arrives with a terrific visual complement from WreckRoom Records. Keep your eyes peeled for more on Santa Fe EP as the release date approaches. In the meantime, watch and listen below.

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Written by Rob Peoni