When Rogue Records America signed their newest indie music group back on January 11, they weren’t enlisting another metal band; they added a talented duo with an ambient orchestral sound that persuades your ears to lend attention. If you haven’t heard the sounds of Mark and David of, Those City Lights, take a listen to a track while I share a bit from the conversation I had with the artists themselves.
While their passion for making music was apparent, there is more to them than a simple desire to “make it big”. Take Mark for example. His musical background includes playing string instruments at a young age and fronting for the metal band, Fortesque, during high school. For him it means much more: “Personally, for me, it’s a good escape… I can just lose myself in it.” This translates well as David seeks to create music that influences others. When asked what it means to him, he responded: “Hrm…for me, it’s nothing so personal. Rather my intention is to evoke emotion in our listeners, hopefully haha.” If you’ve listened to their music, you may have found it easy to lose yourself in the atmosphere that quickly brings you to another place and time. Go ahead, click that play button!
You would expect the duo to have met at a concert or even grown up together. It isn’t quite so. Having interest in the same kind of music brought them to the same internet community. Realizing that that their goals and passions aligned brought them to RRA as a team. What is so refreshing about their music is that is isn’t scripted or on rails.
“Inspiration… would probably just have to be raw emotion, its almost 100% improvised so what comes out is pure passion, we don’t make many decisions it just happens, people can expect something completely new and different, a real emotional roller coaster.”
Their debut EP entitled “Absconding Reality” is out now and available for purchase on BandCamp or you can snag it on iTunes or Spotify. Like any new band they spoke of the soul searching done during the development. While they certainly lean towards the powerful and emotion-evoking sound in the early tracks of the album they evolve to a more upbeat style as it progresses. It certainly reminds me of the old days when you grabbed your favorite CD, found a quiet place and let the music take you on a auditory journey.
If you want to hear more of Those City Lights, get yourself a copy of their EP release here or visit them on facebook. If you need some serious interaction with their music and need a visual, check out the animation that the track Requiem (Sophie’s Song) is set along with. You may want to grab a tissue; this is powerful stuff.
Those City Lights was formed late 2011 by David Hurst and Mark Weller, creating music crammed with emotion the duo is inspired by such artists as; Scale the Summit, Andy Mckee, Olafur Arnalds and Hans Zimmer. Through the use of both technical guitar elements and massive orchestrations TCL produces unique soundscapes and ambient textures.
Rogue Records America Sign Those City Lights
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