THECITYISOURS will release their second album, Coma, on 22 October via German alternative/Metal label Arising Empire who they signed with earlier in the year. The band are currently playing UK dates.
The process from the success of the 2019 debut album Low, which reached the top five of the iTunes Metal Chart, had its setbacks with the departure of long-standing vocalist Sam Stolliday. The addition of Oli Duncanson to the ranks has proved a success, with the new tracks suggesting the London five-piece band have a great future.
“Oli has been a part of our team for a long time,” Mikey Page says. “He is a very well-respected entity in his own right amongst the music scene. We had seen snippets of his capabilities over the years, so when he registered an interest in becoming a part of CITY, we knew we had to explore. And we clicked instantly.”
“I remember being shown some demos of some new songs prior to Sam’s departure and absolutely loving the direction and progression of the band’s sound,” Oli Duncanson said. “As soon as Mikey told me about the opening in the band, I knew I had to take a chance.”
Violent
The bands first single with Duncanson was the track Violent, “arguably our most honest account as a band to date,” Mikey Page says.
“Betrayal was never something we’d experienced before as a band, so dealing with events of this nature was a difficult but incredibly insightful process to experience. The progression from sadness to anger is always a difficult period to rationalise when contemplating the reasons for a relationship collapsing.
“In many cases, it’s clear that there are reasons or regrettable actions to contextualise a series of events. However, it does not mean that they hurt any less. This track lays it all out on the table, with a hope of providing some kind of solace for the pain, before picking ourselves back up and coming back, stronger than ever before.”
So Sad
The band have just released the track So Sad. “So Sad is about trying to come to terms with the decision to end something you feel is great and processing the subsequent fallout,” says Mikey Page. “This was an interesting one for us, as the lyrics came from two completely separate viewpoints.
“We have always been advocates for making music people can relate to in their own way and take from it what they need. This was the first time we really explored that idea consciously within ourselves to collaborate in a way that told both angles of the story, leaving the door open for interpretation from the listener.”
Dangerous
Dangerous was an earlier single and is a great example of the explosive style of the band and their vibrant and fresh feeling, pop-centric arrangements, expertly interwoven with infectious hooks and crushing riffs.
“We believe art should be about expression of thoughts, feelings and values however you see fit, without fear of judgement,” Mikey Page says. “Dangerous was born through this mentality. Combining all of the ideas we had whilst removing the handbrake of ‘what if?’ We wanted to create something that empowered the ideology of being true to yourself no matter what. I think this track/video reflects the excitement and freedom we felt through embracing the process.”
Page says the band was keen to try something new with the visuals to embrace this ideology for the video. “What better way than to throw stereotypes to the wind and create an independent wrestling promotion as a vessel to carry this message. You’re perfect just the way you are, so don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”
The band are currently playing UK dates, with a performance set for tonight at The Think Tank in Newcastle. They will also perform at Turbulence Festival, Plymouth, 16 October and Holloween, Southampton, 31 October.
