Review: City Reign, Another Step (2013)

Over the past two years, City Reign has steadily continued to earn well-deserved buzz from its early demos and singles.  Combining catchy, unapologetically guitar-driven melodies (a rarity in today's indie music scene) with a lead singer who can sound a good bit like Idlewild-frontmand Roddy Woomble, City Reign was poised to fill the void left by the breakup of the UK's finest rock band.

Still, a funny thing happened between the time we first heard City Reign's "Making Plans" and the release of Another Step, the band's full-length debut.  Over the course of several singles, two EPs, and a handful of album teasers, City Reign began to sound a bit less like Idlewild and more like...well, City Reign.  With the release of Another Step, City Reign has assumed its own identity as one of the most exciting indie rock bands to emerge in a long time.

While the stylistic similarities to British rock of the 90s and early 00s are certainly there, a less-obvious influence is that of Ryan Adams - whose song "City Rain, City Streets" served as the inspiration for the band's name.  Co-writers Chris Bull and Michael Grice met at an Adams concert, and it seems his knack for songwriting has rubbed off on the pair.  Like the best Adams songs, Another Step is a collection of upbeat melodies disguising sad tales of disappointment, regret, and love gone wrong, yet any of which could sit comfortably among the catchiest songs on the radio.

Still, the band moves bravely away from this tactic in "Retaliate."  With the guitars turned down in favor of pretty string accompaniment, it's the most vulnerable and delicate recording in the band's young career.

The moment is fleeting, though, as City Reign immediately rips into a stunner of a track in "See What It's Worth."  After having revealed most of Another Step in various demos and teasers leading up the album's release, it's clear that the band wanted to save some of its best stuff for last.  Bull sounds almost menacing as he warns, "I really got a hook on you, don't you know?"  His disdain for a mundane existence is apparent ("You get up every morning, and work hard for the things you don't love"), as the track's raucous guitars and drums burst into a spitfire of rage.  This is how rock n' roll was meant to be played.

For those familiar with the band's progression, Another Step plays like an early greatest hits collection of the band's burgeoning career.  But despite being written over a period of years, producer Sam Jones assured that these songs fit together as a cohesive whole.  Any one of them deserve to be a radio hit, whether it's those great early singles ("Making Plans," "Out in the Cold," and "Daybreak"), the soaring "Ahead of Ideas," tender ballad "The Line," or my personal favorite, album-opener "Anchor."

At a time when radio stations have increasingly fallen under the same corporate umbrella, music fans have revolted.  Album sales are in the toilet and nobody is happy with what they're hearing anymore.  Yet in the monster outro of "Ahead of Ideas," with Grice dropping killer backup vocals amid a massive wave of swirling distorted guitars, Bull admits, "I think I found what I was looking for / It's not what I thought it was."  I've said it before, but it is absolutely worth repeating: City Reign is the next great British rock band.  Folks, this is what you've been looking for.

Another Step was released yesterday via Car Boot Records.  Grab the CD at City Reign's bandcamp page, or digitally via the usual locations...

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City Reign previews debut album Another Step

It's easy to get excited for City Reign's upcoming debut, Another Step, especially when they keep releasing great teasers in "Ahead of Ideas," "Retaliate," the new version of "Making Plans," and now "Anchor."  Given and Taken in Ink featured the demo of "Anchor" back in August 2011, and it's nice to hear the song come to life in its official studio version.  At this point, there's no excuse overlooking these guys anymore - City Reign is poised to become the next great British guitar rock band.

Check out the stream of "Anchor" from Steve Lamacq's BBC 6 Music show on January 28, 2012:

And for more Another Step info, check out the band's swanky rehearsal space as they discuss their favorite tracks from the album:

The aforementioned new version of "Making Plans" is playing in the background, which you can hear in full via Soundcloud:

Another Step, which is now available for preorder, is due for release on February 25 via Car Boot Records.

City Reign, “Making Plans” [video]

As City Reign approaches the release of its debut album, Another Step, the Manchester rock band has released an official video for "Making Plans."  The original demo version was the band's very first single, and has now been re-recorded with producer Sam Jones for the full-length, due February 25.  The video was recorded at Manchester's Night and Day, where City Reign played their first gig.

Over the last few years, I've spent a lot of time writing about City Reign, so it's immensely gratifying to see the band on the cusp of a well-deserved breakthrough.

Another Step is currently available for preorder.

Check out the video for "Making Plans":

City Reign, “Retaliate”

Manchester indie rockers City Reign have released the second single from their upcoming debut full-length, Another Step.  It's called "Retaliate," and it might be the most poignant, vulnerable song in the band's young career.  Guitarist and co-songwriter Mike Grice took some time out of his busy pre-release schedule to speak with Given and Taken in Ink about the new single.

"It's just a song about youthful vulnerability and not always realising that the blame is usually your own," Grice explained.

Still, there's something immediately different about "Retaliate."  City Reign's music has often explored themes of loneliness and uncertainty, but like the artist from whose song they took their band name (Ryan Adams' "City Rain, City Streets"), they often wrapped these sad tales in the guise of a catchy rocker.  But for "Retaliate," the band pushed Bull's vocals forward, only supported by gentle acoustic guitars and strings.

"The strings came about in collaboration with Duncan [Bolton]'s flat mate Maya who he knows from Royal Northern College of Music," said Grice.  "I did a demo of some strings on a keyboard and sent it to her.  She turned up at the studio having scored 4 separate parts.  They were recorded in two pairs, and as the layers were added we were all just listening in awe.  It was just beautiful."

The band was less deliberate in the process of writing the song's lyrics, as well.  "Chris [Bull] normally warbles any old crap with a melody and then spends 6 months re-writing it, but I loved the lyrics that came out on that first demo.  I told him to leave it, and it's almost unchanged from there. I think it's got that stream of conscience feel which is different from the other lyrics he's written."

The band is offering a free MP3 download of "Retaliate":

Like many of City Reign's earlier singles, the band put together a video using old film scenes.  They've been remarkably good at finding scenes that fit well with the music.  (Watch the "Daybreak" video for another good example of this).

"From the opening lyric I had an idea of a couple dancing," Grice recalled. "I wanted it to be tasteful so searched for ballroom dancing on my reliable source, Internet Archive. That provided the footage of Fred [Astaire] and the dance floor moving around was too funny not to use.  As for the woman with the balloon, I got lucky in finding that from a different film. It just seemed to fit to the music perfectly."

Finally, I asked Grice if he could give fans a preview of what to expect from the rest of Another Step, due for release in earl 2013:

"The album is the culmination of our development as musicians and people. We were conscious of making an album, not just a collection of songs. The recording process gave it a unity of sound that hasn't always been evident in our earlier EPs and demos. We just can't wait to get it out..."