Coconut Shy offer up something euphoric with new single ‘Small Steps (Paces)’

There's a noticeable change in the air around Coconut Shy on ‘Small Steps (Paces)’. Where much of Joseph Mackey’s earlier writing has been shaped by heartbreak, loneliness and introspection, the Melbourne four-piece’s latest single turns deliberately towards something brighter.

Warm guitars and expansive indie-folk textures carry the song forward, while the chorus opens into the kind of broad, melodic release that feels made for open roads, crowded rooms and voices joining in.

The message is simple but effective. It explores the idea that progress doesn't have to arrive through some dramatic breakthrough. Sometimes it's enough to just keep moving, make the next decision and trust that small changes will eventually add up to something much larger. Coconut Shy resist making that idea sound overly motivational, instead grounding it in the quieter reality of trying to become the person you want to be.

Musically, ‘Small Steps (Paces)’ also feels like a strong reflection of the band’s transition from Mackey’s solo project into a full four-piece. There's more width to the arrangement and a stronger sense of collective momentum, with the instrumental lift giving the songwriting considerably more room to breathe.

Ahead of their forthcoming debut album, this new release suggests a band widening its emotional palette at the same time as its sound becomes more expansive.

Bright, generous and genuinely uplifting, ‘Small Steps (Paces)’ finds Coconut Shy proving that optimism can carry just as much emotional weight as melancholy. And sometimes the biggest change really does begin with something small.