ALBUM REVIEW: Low – THECITYISOURS

Perhaps the most positive thing about pitch darkness is that in such gloom, a spark can shine the brightest. Similarly, sometimes creativity and perseverance are born through the greatest hardship. This is exactly how the debut album from THECITYISOURS was spawned. Modern, progressive and jam packed with emotive artistry, Low is the product of hard work and graft, a testament to the band’s refusal to quit that angles a middle finger in the direction of caving in. Having garnered a rock solid fan base over the course of their being, the London based quintet are set to take the plunge and unleash their record upon the eager masses.

The easiest way to understand Low is to delve a little into the backstory. THECITYISOURS have had a strong start to their career, but like many bands of both young and old, it hasn’t been without burden. Line up changes, personal loss and internal struggle led them to wonder whether or not they should even continue their project, but thankfully for us, they battled through their demons. The album innately became an outlet of sorts, and from the very offset, you could cut through its passion with a knife. As an introduction Ashes grows heavy quick, leading into Bare Bones where vocalist Sam Stolliday shrieks over melodic guitars and well placed drum arrangement. Where a lot of modern metalcore albums take a basic heavy/soft/heavy/soft approach, here the two extremes are well balanced and feel locked in a mutual embrace.

Casket is tuneful enough to become memorable, profiting from hooky riffs and prominent vocal lines. Again, the band flirt with the fringes of both crushing metalcore and pop rock structure. The production is clean, and when Stolliday‘s screams pierce the mix, the anger levels spike. One of the album’s most prolific riffs leads into Veins, a track which ultimately leans on the idea of tugging heartstrings, yet the chorus overflows with indignation. The juxtaposition is impactful, and reflects the band’s inspiring persona. Light from darkness, hope from pain is very much the mindset here. In some moments, the world is prettier than it is at other points in time, and this album very much covers that thesis.

Cue Now That You’re Gone, a tear piquing ballad riddled with melodic riffs that climb like a crescendo towards it’s finale. Again, screams cut through what is a clean sung song for the most part, backed by the duel guitars of Mikey Page and Stuart Mercer which steal the show here. The title track has a similar structure, boasting equally enchanting lead work and pounding drums. Things take a slight twist with Don’t Wait For Me, where the shackles are burned to the ground and a pop song rises from the ashes. Of course, the unmistakable THECITYISOURS sounds rears its head on occasion, but the main body of the track is hook heavy arena rock, accounting for a large percentage of the album’s feel good factor.

The band rifle through panic chords and metalcore-isms throughout Incomplete, throwing huge breakdowns into the formula for good measure. The same can be said of If You Know You Know and Sacred, the latter differing slightly thanks to a return to dewy-eyed choruses. As the album is closed by Here At All, we are left with the impression that THECITYISOURS are a band that understand themselves and where they want to be. They might lean on their influences at times, but their drive to write music that feels natural to them means that they are beginning to build their own niche. This is some way from perfection, but by continuing down this pathway, they might just break free of the underground and bless a much wider audience with their pummelling lesson in positive mindset.

Rating: 8/10

Low is set for release August 2nd via self-release.

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