Pitchfork: The Coral Plan North American Tour

Now, we mean this in the nicest way possible, but it's no secret that our colleagues over at NME have a tendency to shout "Next big thing!!!" at any group of guys with bad haircuts who can play power chords. Having fallen victim to this hyperbole first hand, the Coral will attest to this.

It ain't easy being the former future-best-band-ever, but these boys are keeping on. On May 23, Invisible Invasion drops in the the band's homeland. American fans are slightly less fortunate, having to wait an extra three months for the album's U.S. release date on August 30. They can tide themselves over on the band's website, from which the new album's tracks can be streamed.

The band released their leadoff single, "In the Morning" on May 9, in a variety of different formats. A CD maxi-single contains the songs "Gina Jones" and "The Image of Richard Birton as Crom", as well as a music video of "In the Morning". Also availabe is a two-track CD, which sports the economically-titled "Leeslunchboxbyblueleadandthevelcrounderpants" as its B-side. Rounding out the bunch is a vinyl 7", which has only the A-side and "Gina Jones".

To help get us excited for all of this, the Coral are doing a short jaunt across North America, sticking mainly to the States and paying special attention to the West Coast.

06-07 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club
06-09 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
06-11 Chicago, IL - Martyrs
06-14 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
06-15 San Francisco, CA - Slims
06-17 Seattle, WA - Croc Cafe