City Calm Down are a band who have been perfectly spellbinding since their genesis. With every live performance, they only seem to surpass expectations.
Melbourne five-piece City Calm Down released their EP Movements and signed with cult label I Oh You back in 2012 after cultivating their sound for three years and performing alongside the likes of Miami Horror, Last Dinosaurs, Faithless and Bag Raiders.
Their 2015 debut LP In a Restless House marked a certain maturity and self-assuredness; a departure from the sleek dance-pop sound they had established, swapping synth heavy club hits with charging basslines, deeper vocals, and a more brooding steeze.
Blood is the first taste of new music from their upcoming second LP, which is currently in the mixing stages. The new record is slated to feature even more sonic progression, with an expanded brass and percussion section.
Right now, they’re touring some major cities around the country and will hit up Paris and the UK in November, after having signed with 13 Artists agency last month.
On Friday at the Metro Theatre in Sydney, the crowd was comfortably packed for the show. Hits like Son seized an utterly adoring reception.
The band bring an incredible energy and fervour with them onto the stage, founded by the confluence of drums, bass, guitar and horns, and channeled by singer Jack Bourke’s powerful vocals and infectious movement.
It’s this energy that can be heard in every one of their songs, but needs to be seen to be fully felt.
And it’s this fervour that has us in high anticipation for whatever is coming next.
Words and photos by Dani Hansen.
