5 things to know about RIP by We Are The City
Credit to Author: Stuart Derdeyn| Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2020 19:00:49 +0000
RIP
We Are The City | Light Organ Records
Some bands really don’t do anything twice. Such is the case with We Are The City.
Since coming out of the surprisingly fertile Kelowna music scene in the 2010s, the trio of singer/keyboardist Cayne McKenzie, drummer Andrew Huculiak, and guitarist David Menzel has gone from the initial explorations of its 2009 debut In a Quiet World, to honing in on hooky pop-rock on 2011’s High School EP, before departing into the jagged soundscapes of the soundtrack to the 2013 Norwegian-language feature film Violent.
From there, the band transitioned into an artsy progressive sound that Above Club (2015) and At Night (2018) showcased to varying degrees.
For its fifth album, the group has entirely embraced the kind of expansive, experimental and atmospheric prog-pop that puts it squarely in company of such Scandinavian acts as Efterklang and bands on the XL and 4AD label. It’s not surprising that the band embarks on a European tour shortly after this album is released.
Exclaim magazine pegged RIP as one of 2020s most anticipated albums. Here are five things to know about the record:
1: The RIP Store. Located at 568 E. Broadway in Vancouver, the space where the group has been rehearsing for its upcoming tour has also hosted screenings of the films Violent and Ash, held pre-release listening sessions and presented concerts by affiliated acts such as Yukon Blonde’s Brandon Wolfe Scott (Jan. 26) and two sold-out shows (Jan. 30, 31) to launch their new album. If you can’t make it, the shows are all live-streamed. The RIP Store is the culmination of a long-running vision by the band to provide a free experience in a free space for the local creative community.
2: Song in My Head. One of the most immediately addictive songs on the 12-track release is a concise, pop ditty riding in on an incessant beat embellished with all kinds of background tweaks and a big, fat melodic drop chorus.
3: You’re So Clean. In the midst of all the big orchestration and Cayne McKenzie’s soaring vocals, this straight-ahead scuzzy rocker is a perfect midway break. Imagine The Fall meeting The Cars and sharing thoughts on being “ready to get dirty again.” The squeaky hook is juxtaposed against some clearly cautionary lyrics.
4: God & Man. The band takes its name from a passage in Matthew 5:14 (“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”) and has always explored spiritualism in its music. Almost every album includes a song or two that ventures into theological constructs. This one begins with the concept of losing your virginity at age 11 to porn. Heady stuff.
5: RIP. The band closes the album with the title track, an ode to a lost childhood friend and the jarring realities of being an adult. Mostly written before old friend Kyle Tubbs died, the track was originally about past friendships. “It’s a sad song about feeling like he was a fading childhood best friend, I was mourning our friendship and 4 months later he died from a fentanyl overdose, on January 26, 2018.” recalls Cayne. “I re-recorded the vocal and improvised new lyrics a few days after I found out.”
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Ben Cottrill
Velvet Regrets Vol. 1 | bencottrillmusic.com
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• At Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial, Jan. 26, 7 p.m. Tickets: At the door.
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Pet Shop Boys
Will O the Wisp | x2 Records/Kobalt
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