City Riots

Some albums can be years in the making. Although City Riots have been around for a few years now, the process of creating theirs was quite the contrary. 'Sea of Bright Lights' was written and recorded in less than six months and marks a start of a new phase for the band. A lengthy summer escape to the family shack along the banks of the River Murray in South Australia evolved into the ideal setting for City Riots to pen almost forty new tracks. Free from distractions and full of inspiration, such a situation was a first for the four and set the tone for what was to come. Fascinated with soundscapes created by layered and intertwining guitar sounds, an aesthetic began to emerge that showcased a coming of age for the indie outfit. It was more intricate and sophisticated and it soon became obvious how much City Riots had grown and changed musically – perhaps without the band even realising it. City Riots made their way to the more civilised surroundings of Melbourne, where they spent all of April recording at Red Door Sounds under the ears of Paul ‘Woody’ Annison (Children Collide, Hunting Grounds). After being engrossed in writing for months, the four-piece knew they wanted to create an album in it’s truest form – a cohesive collection of songs with a sense of depth and space without being overdone, overplayed, overthought or overproduced. The band departed the studio with eleven songs that make up their debut LP “Sea of Bright Lights”. Album opener ‘Turn’ and ‘Catch the Sun’ take their signature jangly guitar lines to a new level, whilst first single ‘Wait For You’ and track ‘Take You There’ deliver a dreamlike wave of reverb-drenched pop. Ricky’s idiosyncratic breathy and characteristically smooth vocals are ever-present and shine on tracks ‘Closer’ and ‘Back to Normal’. Tracks ‘Sucker Punch’ and ‘Lonely Hearts’ still maintain the elements of the hook laden indie pop sounds that they had established earlier on as a band. This record has been a long time coming, but as they say, good things come to those who wait. 'SEA OF BRIGHT LIGHTS' is out October 26, 2012 in Australia and New Zealand through Inertia. Dreamy, Jangly, Indie Pop Get 'SEA OF BRIGHT LIGHTS' from iTunes here... http://goo.gl/28xzhz