CITY OF SOULS
“IT’S LIKE A MIXTURE OF DEVIN TOWNSEND, DEFTONES AND SHOEGAZE.” New Zealand rockers’ debut album lifts spirits during pandemic.
IT WAS NOT the debut album release City Of Souls had planned. When the forward-thinking New Zealand alt-proggers unveiled Synaesthesia at the start of May, the world was in the midst of a debilitating global pandemic and, as the world was placed in lockdown, it left the group without a tour to plug the record on. A career-swelling support slot with Deftones slated for mid-March had also fallen on the wrong side of the virus crisis – by about a week – and was pulled.
Vocalist Richie Simpson, though, is optimistic. “We’re kind of aiming at shows in August once we’re free of lockdown level two, so that’ll be nice,” he says.
“We were in the middle of a massive tour, and we didn’t have an album to peddle, but now once we go back out we’ll actually have something for people to latch onto, which I think is actually better timing.”
With Synaesthesia’s lofty choruses and polished alt-rock vibe, it won’t exactly be hard for people to latch onto. The record’s prog credentials can be unearthed in its smattering of tech rhythms, enveloping post-rock atmosphere and a grand sound reminiscent of Aussie neighbours Karnivool, which may be in part thanks to sharing their producer Forrester Savell.
“I’m really proud of it,” Simpson says. “I think everyone pushed themselves beyond where we’ve been previously, in our respective bands, so I think everyone’s kind of stepped up the level of quality and is just doing their job really well. I think everyone’s fully represented really well on the album. I’m already thinking about the next one, though…”
City Of Souls, who also feature guitarists Trajan Schwencke, Steve Boag and Marcus Powell alongside bassist Daniel Insley and drummer Corey Friedlander, only formed in 2015 but they brought experience from other groups, and a drip feed of weighty singles saw their stock quickly rise.
“Obviously between the six of us there’s so many influences, but I find an easy way to describe it is kind of like a mixture of Devin Townsend, Deftones and shoegaze – a bit of that 80s-inspired stuff,” Simpson explains.“I’d call it heavy alt-rock… space rock!”
You won’t find City Of Souls peddling the prog tag too vociferously, though, despite their sound fitting snugly into the modern-day scene.
“A lot of people have put the prog tag on it, but they feel like pop songs to me, heavy pop song structures,” Simpson explains. “We’re not writing seven-minute opuses. I guess it’s some of the tones and sounds. I definitely think it’s progressive in the nature of the influences being mixed together. But in terms of songwriting, it’s pretty linear and just solid, structured songs. We’re not Rush or Tool or anything.”
As Simpson speaks in mid-May, City Of Souls are in limbo after the world ground to a halt around them. But don’t expect to wait too long to hear from the New Zealanders again, though.
“I’ve got a feeling,” Simpson cunningly proclaims, “that we’re going to be recording something new and we’ll likely be releasing it within the space of a year, I’d say.” CC