All is calm in this Blue heaven
MELBOURNE band City Calm Down are getting rave reviews for their new album Echoes In Blue, and Hobart fans have a chance to find out why this weekend.
Blending elements of electro-pop, post-punk and ’80s new-wave, City Calm Down — Jack Bourke (vocals), Sam Mullaly (synthesiser, saxophone), Jeremy Sonnenberg (bass) and Lee Armstrong (drums) — formed back in 2008 and enjoyed some success with the tracks Pleasure and Consequence, Burn Slow and Dare from their 2012 debut EP Movements.
The band embraced indie rock on their 2015 debut album In A Restless House, which Pilerats called “one of this country’s most assured and exciting debut albums in a long time”.
The album yielded the singles Rabbit Run, Son, Border On Control and Your Fix, which became their most popular song to date.
In April City Calm Down returned with their second album Echoes In Blue, which saw them work again with In A Restless House producer Malcolm Besley. Critics raved about Echos in Blue, with The Age and The Music both awarding it four stars and Beat Magazine giving it 9 out of 10.
Bourke said the new single from the album, Pride, was about “lashing out at loved ones due to personal insecurities, pushing them away without explaining why”.
City Calm Down toured the UK and Europe last month, playing eight headline shows and appearing at The Great Escape and Gold Sounds festivals. Now they’re travelling across Australia — and New Zealand, for the first time — to launch Echoes In Blue. They are touring with rising Melbourne producer/ singer-songwriter Woodes, whose singles Daggers & Knives and The Thaw have made her a favourite of Triple J and tastemaker blogs alike. Her self-titled debut EP has been streamed more than two million times online.
City Calm Down and Woodes play at the Odeon Theatre from 8pm on Saturday. Tickets are $42.85, for bookings go to www.oztix.com.au