Movements

There’s a pretty good chance that in a few years, when City Calm Down are touring off the back of Australian music festivals to a multitude of fans, you’ll be reminded of how you knew them back when they were small timers.

With a sophomore release such as this, big things are sure to come in time for this electro-pop/modern post-punk four-piece.

On the opening track “Burn Slow”, the listener is met with layers upon layers of synthesised notes, situated smoothly under vocals similar to a young Ian Curtis

Right from the start, it’s clear what the key designs are that make up this release: masses of delay, solid bass, thoughtful lyrics, and more synthesizers than Passion Pit and MGMT combined.

Each track seems to envelope a polar nature to one another. Whether it’s the feeling of rush from “Stay”, the discotheque sound in “Sense Of Self” or the intense progression in “Dare”, each song feels reborn.

The melancholy lyrics, such as “hold your breath for minutes / and fade away forever” in “Stay”, and “you’ve seen my face / you know that I’m going to run before you can leave” in “Dare”, are constantly sung throughout the release in a contemplative tone, evoking a deeper sense of wonder in what’s being said.

It’s evident that the young ones in City Calm Down are making music far beyond their years, and with the quality of music they’re producing currently, it would be worth keeping an eye on them to see where they end up.

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