The Waiting Room is the debut solo album of Christian pop/rap Brazilian artist Coastside, an album that’s been five years in the making, you might be wondering why did it take so long to complete this album?
The answer? Coastside was very intentional about making this album, he got the idea for it from God back in 2021 but instead of rushing to get it done he took his time crafting it, putting it together a song at a time and really reflecting and praying on what God wanted him to do with this album.
He got the vision for the theme of The Waiting Room three years ago, he had been wanting to put out an album since 2020 and actually had one worked out but ended up scrapping it because he felt the Holy Spirit telling him to wait before doing an album.
During this time he dropped some singles instead and teamed up with his good friend and fellow artist Peair to drop a collab album entitled This Is How We Worship which released in 2024.
Fast forward five years and the time has finally arrived, Coastside was very specific about praying to God that this album would impact people and help them where they’re at, regardless of the numbers and I can say quite confidently that this album successfully captures that.
The Waiting Room finds us in exactly what the title suggests a waiting room that represents our faith and walk with God, sometimes it feels like we’re waiting for an eternity for God to reveal something to us or to say something or to give us clarity on a matter we prayed about.
No matter what that prayer may be for you this album walks you through that time of waiting, not realizing that God was there all along He was just making sure you were ready, each song on this album represents a part of waiting.
I also really love the theme of the waiting room being symbolic of our walk with God but also portraying it as a real waiting room in a hospital, Coastside also has a short film that will be accompanying this album.
Adding into the symbolism of the album and the short film as well, we’re introduced to this character who gets in a serious accident and is taken to a hospital in track 3 “Five Years Gone”, the receptionist we hear speaking represents the Holy Spirit, the nurse that’s helping him at the end of track 12 “Room Forty” represents Jesus. “Room Forty” also has biblical ties because 40 is associated with completion in the Bible, God is the doctor, even though He’s not shown, He’s mentioned and is who the nurse (Jesus) takes Coastside (the character in the album and short film) to.
From the first track “The Wait” to the final track “Raise A Hallelujah” Coastside walks us through waiting to finally realizing that no matter how long we wait, no matter how hard it may seem God is always there with us and that what He has in store for you is worth the wait.
For me the stand out tracks of this album are perhaps the ones who best represent this story of waiting on God, “Control” featuring Coastside ‘s good friend Sam Ramos, is a song about giving control over everything you’ve been holding onto to God. “Unashamed” with his good friends Peair and Kins, this song is one of my favorites on the album, Coastside starts it off with singing then Peair does this dope transition from singing to rapping, back to Coastside on the hook and then Kins on the last verse to tie it all off. An anthem about being unashamed of God, I just love everything about this song, they all did a phenomenal job on it.
The title track “Waiting Room” walks us through this journey of a person who was in a serious accident and has been stuck in this waiting room at a hospital, waiting for someone to come get him so he can leave, this is symbolic of how oftentimes we let our lives go through destructive things before we ultimately realize that God has been waiting for us to give it all to Him.
From start to finish this is nothing short of a masterpiece, such an incredible and well produced, well crafted and well put together album, Coastside is severely underrated and I think this album is a great look into just how talented he is but also how intentional he is with this music.
Coastside is one of the kindest and most humble people you’ll ever meet and that blends into his music, he’s dedicated to making excellent music that represents God and will reach people who have either gone through a period of waiting, are currently going through a period of waiting or just need encouragement and to know that they’re not alone in their doubts and struggles.
The Waiting Room is one of the best albums I’ve heard this year and is in my personal top 5 albums I’ve heard this year, I cannot wait to see what the future holds in store for Coastside but more importantly I can’t wait to see how many people this album is gonna reach, I believe God is going to do big things with this album and with Coastside.
