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Introducing… We Are The City!
We Are The City release their debut album Violent via Sinnbus on 23rd March 2015.
The Canadian three piece say their name comes from 'the imagery of a city being a sort of beacon from a distance. A mark to reach'. With these ten tracks, you feel like you’re reaching ever closer.
To get a taste of We Are The City's sound, check out their video for album track 'Friends Hurt' on the band's YouTube channel.
The band’s influences range from Mew to Bowie and, while this can be heard in their quirky, off-kilter time signatures and whimsical melodies, their sound is very much their own. ‘Bottom of the Lake’ is Band of Horses meets Menomena but in a dream. Single King David and track ‘I Am, Are You?’ combines the kookiness of The Flaming Lips and the off beat melodies of Mew whilst ‘Friends Hurt’ explores the idea of ‘loud and quiet’ with an intricate build up which leads to a wonderful synth led cacophony of noise.
We Are The City have already made a name for themselves in Canada; meeting in high school, they quickly formed a band, recorded an album, toured and amassed a large fan base. Honing their sound within the contemporary indie genre, guitarist David Menzel eventually left the band briefly but their journey didn’t end here, the road was merely altered. The remaining members - Cayne McKenzie and Andrew Huculiak, recorded an EP and toured once more, accruing an even larger fan base and upon David’s return, the three finished their album Violent in a place they lovingly called ‘The Magic House’. It was the perfect creative environment, but they would be the last residents of the fabled house, as it was torn down shortly after. The finishing touches were added by Tom Dobrzanski (Said The Whale, The Zolas, Hey Ocean) who produced and recorded the album with the band in Vancouver’s Monarch Studios.
Alongside the music, We Are The City are also talented directors, script writers and film producers, creating their own music videos and even their own film Violent. Around the same time as recording the album Violent they shot a film in Bergen, Norway, despite none of them being able to speak a word of Norwegian.
The film depicts a young woman and her last memories of the five people who loved her most, recalled while experiencing a catastrophic event. In keeping with the film, the album portrays extremes - death, love, loneliness and reminiscence. Now that the film Violent is travelling the world and winning awards (Vancouver International Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival) it is finally time for the album Violent to leave Canada’s borders.
On Violent, the band explore wild and exciting soundscapes. Their innovative sound scales sonic peaks, and descends into canyons before rising back up. The further you venture into their world, the more the view of their city unfolds revealing a beacon in the far distance. A signal, if you will, from far way. This is We Are The City.
Violent is released via Sinnbus on 23rd March 2015.