Melbourne heavy act The City have released their latest album Neon Dreams and have kindly sent us a track-by-track rundown.
Check it out below.
Faded – A battle against the everyday fight you have with yourself self in your mind and the dark temptation that it can bring.
Sometimes you find the brightest lights in the darkest times. But unfortunately, you have to sometimes get to those dark places, to learn how to be able to climb out and get back on solid ground.
When you’re in a downward spiral, it can be easy to give up hope. Often everything feels hopeless like the walls are crashing down around you. So it’s sort of like do you swim or drown. Those are the times where it can be the hardest to choose survival over just giving up.
It’s Important to identify these negative spirals in yourself or loved ones and ask or offer the help that may be needed at often critical times. Reach out to your friends, if they aren’t reaching out to you, scream, yell, do whatever you need to get support.
We’re all in this together, tell your friends you love them.
Caffeine Fiend – A song for the rat race, for the suppressed. For you, for us. The people who drag themselves out of bed every day and break their backs to get by, so someone else’s holidays and kids educations are paid in full.
Really just a middle finger to the capitalistic society we’re all cogs in, in this modern-day life. If this song helps get you through the day, then we’ve achieved something! Stay hungry, if you’re not happy with your current lifestyle, work harder and change your situation to match your goals.
Everyone complains about not having time to do the things they love or are passionate about, but very few people will put it all on the line. At some point you have to take that leap, you’re probably going to fail, but dusting yourself off and getting back up is a step closer to sticking the landing.
Aeons – A song for the dreamers and believers. Knowing that someday all of your hard work will amount to something, and you will find success down whatever path you may take. Just stay the course, or know when to change tracks.
Carpe Diem and all that stuff. But always remembering to do things that make your inner child happy.
Set goals, swing for the fences, live hard and fast. You never know when the last conversation you’ll have with friends or family will be. Live every minute possible surrounding yourself with things and people you love, and life gets infinitely better.
If something or someone is dragging you down, consider cutting it out and focus on you.
Vanity & Violence – This is a high energy party track mixed with early 2000s post hardcore emo feels. Right down the centre and into your ears.
It’s about partying and absolutely sending it, enjoying the moment, letting it consume you. Classic living for the weekend and enjoying every moment of it but probably not being able to remember it the next day.
But then there’s also people who want to harsh your buzz. At a party, at work, or just in general when you’re trying to have a bloody go at it. Relentlessly.
There’s always going to be people who try and kill your efforts or talk shit about the journey. But shaking them off and getting on with it is the only way to not get dragged down.
The Chad – Actually started as a joke song about imagining we were Chad Kroeger of Nickleback, what he’d be thinking, how he gets down on the weekend. I didn’t choose the rockstar life, the rockstar life chose me.
We in no way endorse The Chad lifestyle, but in some ways we are curious. I mean, I’m sure walking their wheelbarrows of money to the bank after each gig, they really couldn’t give two shits about the comments section on Reddit.
And they just keep putting out absolute bangers, in an almost formulaic and very self aware way. They created a monster, and nothing’s going to stop them.
After this song came about we actually got a LifeSize Chad Kroeger cutout to watch over the studio and he parties pretty hard, we must say(you can ask to see the photos)
Hopefully we’ll be living it up from A.U.S to London Town soon, and know what all this rockstar life is about. “Aw C’mon”
Neon Dreams – It’s a straight up 80s electro rock dance banger, we dare you not to tap your feet and bop your head.
This song is more about Lust than Love, fitting in line with our fast-paced, modern-day, consumer-based digital society, where you have apps for everything, even romantic connections”.
“It’s a lot more light hearted than some of the heavier topics threaded throughout the lyrics on the rest of the album, and is arranged to really break up the listener’s experience and almost reset them in the middle of their journey with us on NEON DREAMS as a whole experience.
My Love – This one’s about friendship, love and loss. Time and time spent. Knowing nothing lasts forever and even though we are all programmed to die, we all long for a true love that echoes eternally.
This can be a lover, a best mate, sometimes someone you would have never expected can leave a very lasting and profound effect on you. Basically, anyone that you couldn’t imagine living without.
A few of us lost people in the first weeks of recording this album. It was fucking harrowing. We changed some dates around rallied around each other to make it through.
Cherish those you love, and not to sound like a broken record, but tell your mates snd family you love ’em. Stay that extra hour, drive that long drive, pick up the phone when someone rings you, or just call someone if you’re worried about them.
The Devil In Me – We all have bad days and thoughts that can stray what’s considered “normal“. We all have a voice of doubt that can lead us down a dark path. It can be pretty convincing, especially in moments of weakness or insecurity.
Self-doubt getting in your head, telling you your friends let you down(or you perceive them to) or don’t care about you. You don’t matter. You’re worthless.
It can be pretty easy to feel futile and insignificant. It’s a fairly bleak and nihilistic outlook lyrically for the first 3/4 of the song, but the melody and arrangement sounds hopeful and uplifting, finishing in a big lift for the finish.
The overall message is about setting yourself free from drama, anxiety and stress. The instant relief and weightlessness of doing so. We can be our own worst enemy and also our biggest hero.
WYDTM – Another expression of time and mortality and the anxiety and discomfort it can bring.
Combined with the betrayal of a failed relationship and the mental hell it can bring. A break up can give the same chemical releases to your brain as a death, it’s loss, real, raw and unforgiving.
It’s about picking yourself up and learning to use positive coping mechanisms to deal with the pain and trauma instead of delaying or ignoring the hurt, and subsequently healing process.
Trying to come to terms with the end of a chapter in a story only leaves you with the excitement and anticipation of the next great experience, yet to be had
Set Me On Fire – I lost one of my best friends when I was young and went off an edge into chaos, drugs and alcohol. It’s about the self-destructive side of mental illness and isolation. Feeling there really is no one or nowhere to go to.
Definitely on the darker side of those thoughts in your head, throwing yourself to the wind and wallowing in the pain. Letting it consume you and hurting yourself.
It’s not sustainable and once you get it out of your system, and learn to rebuild yourself, better days lay ahead. You may not want to go on today, but unless you’re here tomorrow, you won’t know if it’s about to get better.
Bright Lights – Sometimes you have the best day and someone else just rains shit on your parade. It’s about reflection on our youth and memories made. Reminiscing to a simpler time when we didn’t have to adult.
When the only things you had to worry about was what mischief you were getting up to with your mates, watching the sun coming up, and feeling a sense of freedom and levity.
It can be easy to forget about these times when you’re chained to a 9-5 work life. Yet some of the best things are so achievable and accessible. Beers in a park or at the beach with friends, good music, relaxing with your pets. Life can be pretty simple snd great if you slow down to think about it.
Walk Away – Loving and losing someone, but knowing your worth and remembering that life goes on no matter what happens.
This really took us back to the epic teen breakup songs we grew up bleeding out young hearts out to. There was always one sad boy banger(usually partially acoustic) where the chorus just takes off.
We wanted to give that sense of vitriol and “GFYS” to you when you sing the chorus out loud. There’s something very connecting about standing in a room full of people who feel alone or rejected and looking around to see we all bleed the same, and we are NOT ALONE!
Turn this one up and scream your heart out. We promise it will help.
