The title of Coraline’s Collapse latest release perfectly encapsulates the message and story they are telling through the lyrics. The visual aesthetic and symbolism in the music video, created by indie filmmaker Charles Lednicky, ties the lyrical struggles of breaking into the music scene, and determination of a future of nothing but making music together and sharing it with the world, to perfection. For Coraline’s Collapse, this is it. All or nothing. This, or a car crash.

 

The post-hardcore/metal core band, Coraline’s Collapse, is a 5-piece unit consisting of Wyatt Johnson, vocals/ guitar, Ethan Moquin, guitar, Harrison Moquin, drums, Anthony Del Guidice, bass and James Johnson, vocals. The Gainesville Florida based band found their own unique sound and image with their latest single This Or A Car Crash, a song over a year in the making, and first with the latest additon to the band vocalist James Johnson.

 

“The whole music video brings the title to life”, the band shared with Top8. 

 

Lednicky’s use of symbolism through the music video and visual story telling effortlessly unites and combines the two story lines being told simultaneously. Being a good friend of the band already, he was able to create an aesthetic for the video bringing Coraline’s Collapse’s story to life.

 

“The car in the tree metaphorically represents the death of the main character (Wyatt), as to where the trailer is "real life" with the main character dead on the floor where the emergency lights can be seen flashing through the window. Once Wyatt's part comes in he is resurrected and joins back with the band, shown alive in the trailer, but also in the hearse by the car in the tree.”

 

The band shared that the song is about their passion and struggles trying to break into the music industry. There is a line in the song "this or nothing", and the band says this is exactly how they feel. “We all want this so bad, we see nothing else for our future.”

 

As ideas for the song started coming together, the group didn't necessarily have a clear direction, but knew they were onto something special.

 

“When writing the song ‘This or a Car Crash’ we didn't have a super clear vision from the start. We worked on the instrumental first and then wrote lyrics afterwards. The first clean verse was written for another song that Wyatt was writing just for himself on the acoustic guitar, which ended up being the first clean verse for the song instead”.

 

You can hear numerous influences on the new single and not just from fellow Floridian heavy hitters Underoath. Coraline’s Collapse’s influences run deep throughout the modern metal scene, from their own backyard to across the pond.

 

“In the beginning we drew from bands like Bullet For My Valentine and Sleeping With Sirens. As the band has evolved we have been inspired by bands like Underoath, Norma Jean, Bring Me The Horizon, Counterparts, Of Mice and Men, and Saosin,” the band shared. 

 

The release of This or a Car Crash has really set the tone and direction of what fans can expect musically going forward, with their next single Sit Still dropping December 11th.

 

You can catch Coraline’s Collapse in their home town of Gainesville Florida with FallFiftyFeet at The Ox, December 10th, and again in Jacksonville at The Albatross. They have their first show at The Conduit in Orlando coming up in January 2026. 

 

The band is already working on a new single and an album that will be coming out in 2026, with an accompanying summer tour across the southern states.