A long summer escape to a family shack along the banks of the Murray River in South Australia evolved into a musical triumph for Adelaide’s City Riots.
Writing almost forty new tracks, the quartet took their newfound inspiration into the Red Door Sounds studio with Paul ‘Woody’ Annison (Children Collide, Hunting Grounds), and returned with a radiant eleven-track debut album.
Sea of Bright Lights is eased in with “Turn” and “Catch the Sun”, which set the scene for the enchanting layered soundscapes which infuse the album.
“Closer” is filled with wistful backing synths that wrap you in a haze of nostalgia, and “Sucker Punch” boasts the intricate melodies and signature guitar hooks that now define City Riots.
By the time seventh-track “Take You There” rolls around, fatigue sets in from the whispering, breathy vocals, but the overexerted echoes are offset by the warmth of the lyrical narratives, which seem to command a concentration to follow and appreciate.
Album closer “It’s Been a Long Time” completes the set of songs with a slightly darker edge, fading to end.
With Sea of Bright Lights, City Riots have delivered a debut full-length album offering a consistent set of songs, stylistic and drenched in reverb – likely to be providing the soundtrack to many summer road trips down to the coast.
