Citysick

Unsigned Spotlight is designed to introduce you to amazing bands that need to be on your radar as they continue to work hard on their music, tirelessly engaging their fans, and contribute to the music community.

Citysick is a band that reached out to Spinning Thoughts months ago — we have featured their music on an episode and we’re fans of what they’re doing. Their music sounds familiar while at the same time paving a path that feels new.

Check out our exclusive interview with the band:

ST: Citysick dropped its latest EP Get Better at the beginning of December 2017. What have the past few months been like since this release?
C: Since the release we have undertaken a DIY press campaign which helped get Get Better into as many ears as possible. The campaign was a success, and the EP has been picked up by blogs and radio stations across the country. We even got a few blog and playlist placements abroad which is insane. We also welcomed our original bassist, Kevin Ristow, back into the band, and moved Curtis over to third guitar. We’re super excited about that move because of how well it rounds out our live sound, and all the possibilities it opens up to us creatively moving forward. Other than that, we’ve just been playing shows and playing new music; making new music of our own, as well as exploring some ideas of re-imagining classic songs we all love.

ST: The band posted on social media the day of the release: “We have poured our hearts into this, and we hope it resonates with yours. Thank you all. So much.” What’s been the most rewarding experience throughout this endeavor of writing and dropping this EP?
C: It’s been so incredibly humbling seeing how much people love ‘Get Better’. This EP was a blast to make, but it also led to tensions being held between ourselves along the way. So to finally see all of that hard work pay off in the form of people singing along at shows and otherwise genuinely enjoying the music that we all made together was the best form of release.

ST: Were there any critical players in the making of Get Better, outside of the band?
C: We recorded drums with Johnny Liu at his studio in LA, and he had a lot to do with getting the drum production done. The rest of the EP was recorded and mixed by our guitarist, David Hollenbeck. We also gotta give our homegirl Kelly Corfield a shoutout for her part in the end of “Hurricane” – she’s one of the best singers we know and we were stoked to have her featured!

ST: The band recently dropped a music video for “Leaning”. Why did you choose this song to highlight visually?
C: “Leaning” was the apparent favorite of crowds on tour, and right at release it was the best performing track on the EP. The video is a nostalgia trip for all of us, and for everyone included in the tour in any regard, so we wanted to include the song people enjoyed the most with the video as kind of a time capsule of one hell of a summer that we can all look back on in the future.

ST: The life cycle of an album these days seems to shrink more and more. What can fans expect from Citysick in 2018 regarding new music?
C: We’ve already starting writing some new material, and will likely release some new music this year. Whether that takes the form of a EP, split, or full-length is up in the air right now.

ST: What performance plans exist for the band in 2018? Shows, tours, festivals?
C: Citysick hit the beginning of the year really hard on shows. Right now we’re taking a little time to get all of our personal lives back in order. Then we’ll be right back to playing shows all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We’re booking for some summer runs right now, including a mini-tour with the goal of playing an entire weeks-worth or so of pool parties.

ST: What bands are you jamming to right now that others should check out?
Conner: Tiny Moving Parts, Movements, The Plot In You
Curtis: Senses Fail, Turnstile, Goldberg
David: Phoebe Bridgers, Mat Kerekes, The War On Drugs
Kaleb: Spraynard, Hot Mulligan, Higuera
Kevin: Can’t Swim, Tigers Jaw, Seaway
And then of course we’re all listening to the new album by Kero Kero Bonito.

ST: What’s the best way for fans to support Citysick?
C: Keep listening to, and following us on your favorite streaming platforms. Other than that we can be found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @citysickca (/citysickca for facebook), and we have new merch up on our site that people can order!

What are your thoughts on Citysick? Have you jammed their latest EP Get Better? Leave it in the comments down below or hit us up on Twitter: @SpinThoughts!

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