Crystal Cities

Crystal Cities have caught our eye with their impressive EP titled Who’s Gonna Save Us which is out now. Their sound has been described as dream rock that sounds like Death Cab For Cutie had a War On Drugs with The Beatles. Drummer Dan Conte answered a few questions for Hi Fi Way: The Pop Chronicles about their new EP.

Is it a relief that after all the “the sweating it out in a mates garage” the EP is finally done or just about done?
Absolutely, we are stoked that our EP Who’s Gonna Save Us Now is out and we’re even more overwhelmed with the response that it’s been getting. It is something that we are extremely proud of as a band.

Is it hard letting it go?
Not really, there has been a lot of hard work and time put into making this EP happen. So it’s been a joy to let the music out into the world and have it available for the people to listen to, and hopefully enjoy ofcourse!

On reflection are you happy with what you have achieved with the EP?
We certainly are. Our lead single Who’s Gonna Save Us Now made it to number 10 on the AMRAP charts in it’s first week. The film clip to the single has been played on RAGE a couple of times. And in general we have had a lot of positive responses to our EP which has been a real humbling experience.

What was it like working with Sean Cook on mixing the single?
Sean was seamless and great to work with mixing our latest single Binary Eyes. We let him take control and mix the single based on his own ideas and from how he interpreted the song. Usually, you would give a mixing engineer some references to the sounds you are going for. With Sean, we left it up to him to take the song where he thought it needed to go and it turned out to be a fantastic way of approaching the song. We loved working with him.

How would you describe Crystal Cities to a prospective fan?
Crystal Cities are indie dream rockers with catchy melodies that will easily get stuck in your head. They have a real drive to their songs, that will make you want to tap or dance along. They are a melting pot of innovative song writing, Australian music and thought evoking lyrics.

How did the band get together?
Geoff and Jared had met through university. Myself and the guys played in a band prior to Crystal Cities. The songs that we were writing were starting to turn into a different style and a different sound to the original band. We were really enjoying this new direction and from there Crystal Cities was born.

Are there any significant influences that have shaped the band’s sound?
There are plenty of influences along with some individual influences which help shape the band too. As a band, The War On Drugs, The Beatles and Death Cab For Cutie.

What’s the biggest lesson learnt so far that you wouldn’t repeat on the next recording?
It’s a tough one as overall we are all extremely happy with our EP. The only thing I might change for next time would be to record as many or all of the songs together around the same time. On this EP we had recorded at a few different places (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all). But it is something that we may do differently next time round.

Are there any plans to tour Australia?
Not yet, we’d love to be on the road again. We always have a great time when we are on tour. Hopefully soon, we’ll keep you posted

What’s the next challenge for Crystal Cities?
Our film clip to our latest single ‘Binary Eyes’ will be out very soon. So keep your eyes peeled for that! We’ve recently been accepted to play at Australian Music Week which is in Cronulla and we are stoked to be a part of that. There’s some great bands on the line up so we can’t wait to be there in November.

Interview by Rob Lyon

For more information about Crystal Cities check out their official website.