Ahead of their debut album release, we caught up with CITIES.
With the five-piece from Swansea set to self release their debut album on June 21st, we chatted with the band to find out more about the band beginnings, their influences and unique live sets which combine visuals into the mix.
Can you tell us how you guys got together?
Stephen Cribb: CITIES are the product of our collective cultural and musical progression. All the members of the band grew up in Swansea, South Wales. We have all been in various bands, of varying quality, together since around 1998. I think we have just stubbornly, and brilliantly refused to give up on a collective dream of making quality music together. To be honest, I don’t think there are many more interesting or rewarding things to do. We have been through various musical styles, but I think we ultimately come from a rock background but with each of us our tastes have evolved. We’ve probably become more eclectic in our musical preferences as years have progressed. The shackles of any need to stay fixed on one style of music have dissipated.
The difference now is that we have a more progressive, varied and dynamic sound, adding elements of electronica to the mix, which is always a delicate balance. The lack of a vocalist/frontman brings its own challenges and I feel we are now more interested in a musical dialectic with each other and ultimately, the audience.
Your debut release is due out in June, how would you describe the album?
Stephen Cribb: To describe this record and our sound in words; this album is essentially post-rock with elements of ambient electronica. Each song is pretty different, and I think that’s just the way we are. We don’t really set out to write a particular style of song. It’s pretty organic and I suppose the advantage we have that it’s (hopefully) not contrived. The old Aristotelian adage of ‘the whole being greater than the sum of it’s parts’ can be applied to us in terms of what we bring to the table musically.
Are there any tracks in particular you feel summarises your sound?
Stephen Cribb: Personally, I feel that Clozapine is our strongest track, and defines what we are about at the moment. I really love the rhythm section in the song. I also think the concept is interesting. ‘Clozapine’ is actually the mother of all anti-psychotic drugs, it’s used to treat Schizophrenia when everything else has basically failed. The first half of the song is supposed to mirror the initial stages of taking the drug, with the irregular and confused heartbeat of the synth and the layers of scattered, distorted emotion signified by the guitars and piano. The next part signifies the steadying of the symptoms, a solid groove of anodyne positivity. The last part is meant to symbolise the emotions that are released when someone stops taking the drug, in the sense that a build up of massively suppressed ideas and emotions are released and the individual has their identity back, but is forever changed.
You incorporate visuals into your live shows, how did this come around?
John Wellings: While we lack a leader or focal point in a traditional sense such as a vocalist, we felt we could be complemented by the addition of a visual element. All our visual accompaniments are created live, echoing the origins of our music it is never exactly the same twice. While we work on a basic framework to operate around, the visuals are treated and played like any other instrument and draw on archive footage, animations and our own filmed pieces.
What can we expect from a live set from CITIES?
Matt James: We hope to at least inspire someone. Maybe you might feel uncomfortable, maybe you might feel elated. If you feel something, then it was worth it. Our live set is mainly built around dynamics and ambience. We don’t really have verbal communication with the crowd so it has to be communicated through the narrative of the music and the accompanying visuals. We’re adding more structure and measure to the journey but we do like to go off piste when it feels right. Pounding out the exact same method every time would be no fun, it’s exciting to wander into unknown territories live, the crowd can smell it.
Stephen Cribb: As Matt said, it’s about the dynamics that seep out of a chemical balance that you can only really have with certain like-minded musicians, and that is battle-hardened by endless jamming which is never going to be heard by anyone but us, and occasionally Chris’ girlfriend. Ultimately, We try and create an audio-visual experience that people can connect with in a slightly different way to a normal rock show.
Are there any bands in particular from the UK that you’d love to tour with?
Matt James: Nordic Giants are doing something very cool and different. We came across them by chance when they rented a cottage down in West Wales that we have been using for years. They did a rad video there and i think a couple of the boys watched them live shortly after. I like what Nope from Leeds are doing too. I’m sure there are plenty of great bands out there that we just haven’t come across yet.
What is your aim as a band by the end of 2015?
Hopefully by the end of 2015, we will have built up a live show which we can really hold up to the light and be proud of. We are just trying to get quality gigs with like-minded bands at the moment. We will also be starting work on our second album nearer to Christmas. However at the moment we are just concentrating on promoting Manning Alaska. It’s available on limited edition Vinyl or MP3 Download through our bandcamp address.