Fear of flying is a common phobia to acquire in a society depending on airplanes for mass transportation. While Halifax rock band In-Flight Safety may not assuage any fears of verticality, their atmospheric and melody-driven sound could take one on a journey without the anxiety of air travel. Bear in mind, however, actually traveling in the company of In-Flight Safety yields the possibility of getting lost on Canadian highways.

"[The band] just makes mistakes, and we underestimate driving times because we're lazy," jokes John Mullane, vocalist of In-Flight Safety. The band experienced a detour on their way to Edmonton last week almost keeping them from playing their scheduled show with The Most Serene Republic. "You're traveling on the Canadian highways in the winter. It can be treacherous."

In-Flight Safety had best thank their lucky stars their sense of musical direction outshines their propensity for using road maps. Their full length debut The Coast Is Clear was released this past January on Dead Daisy Records, vouching for the focus In-Flight Safety has in crafting their specific brand of rock music. The album is filled with vast musical landscapes, combining melodic pop sensibilities with experimental ambience and arena rock delivery. This particular sound has drawn In-Flight Safety comparisons to bands such as Coldplay and Wilco. Mullane disagrees with this assessment.

"I certainly wouldn't describe us to be like Coldplay," states Mullane. "I know people pick up a lot of similarities in the melodic music. I think it's the dreamy quality of the music that gets [In-Flight Safety] lumped in with the Coldplays of the world. I usually say [In-Flight Safety] is cinematic rock music. Dan [In-Flight Safety's keyboardist] made a joke about us using the glockenspiel. He decided we would call it 'glock-core.'"

In addition to the glockenspiel, In-Flight Safety makes use of other obscure instruments. The Coast Is Clear features organs, Rhodes pianos, and even the occasional Mellotron to synthesize string sounds. The band even produced the album themselves, ensuring they achieved the best record possible. However, Mullane is not one to stand still and already has plans for future albums, including adding a producer to the fold.

"The next record we make will probably be more ambitious," predicts Mullane. "We'll need to hire someone to help us realize it."

In-Flight Safety is poised to make progress beyond The Coast Is Clear, a sufficiently ambitious effort on its own. Another musical journey begins; hopefully it does not end with the band getting lost on the way to Edmonton.