Eyes Open

Babe & The Devil

Making History

Why scream at people 
Just to let it all out
All the fighting and yelling 
What’s it all about
Kill em all
Rise and fall
It’s not your fault
Ego death kult
Always shit talking
What you on about
Try say nothing
Listen to what it’s about
Close your eyes baby
Let it all out
Sit in silence
And let it all out
Let it all out

PAWS

Ego Death Kult

Sydney indie rock three-piece Crystal Cities are back, this time with the title track and second single from their forthcoming 3rd LP, I Should Have Known That This Was War. The song reveals a more experimental approach to the band’s songwriting this time around, both in terms of instrumentation and arrangement. Geoff Rana’s first lyrics echo this sentiment of change also, “Hold my cigarette, yeah, I think I need a break from the same old song and dance”.

The synth pads underlying the track create a spacey, cosmic bed which instantly take the listener somewhere they’ve never been whilst listening to a Crystal Cities track. Rana delivers the verse vocals with swagger before the song opens up into a spacious and uplifting chorus. The track then takes a Bowie-esque turn, relaxing into an almost free-time bridge where a haunting theremin-sounding synth provides most of the harmonic support. 

"It is a song about the polarising experience of life; when the universe and all the things that encompass it seem to coalesce in such a way that life appears to be your ally, but then quickly turns and appears to become your enemy; when life seems to gracefully surrender to your will, but then in an instant throws everything it has at you. It’s about the unexpected wins and losses that life can deliver at any given moment. The song takes some unexpected twists and turns to reflect this sentiment."
⁣- Geoff Rana (vocals/guitar/keys)

Lead vocalist and guitarist/keyboardist Geoff Rana has been spending days on end in his self-made studio where he’s been writing, producing and engineering the band’s latest material.

While the band’s previous effort - their sophomore album Hold Me Close Hold Me Tight - was an exercise in hard-hitting alternative rock that could rattle a live audience, the band’s third LP, I Should Have Known That This Was War, feels more explorative and colourful (at least from the two singles released from the band thus far, the first being “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”). 

This new single happens to be the last Crystal Cities song previous drummer Daniel Conte performs on, with new drummer Neel Shukla taking over the drumming duties for the remainder of the tracks on the upcoming album.

Long-time Crystal Cities collaborator Paul Lani (David Bowie, Prince) was once again tapped to handle mixing and mastering duties for the recording.

SInce the band’s formation in 2016 they have released a highly praised EP - Who’s Gonna Save Us Now (2017) - and two critically acclaimed albums - Under The Cold Light of the Moon (2019) and Hold Me Close Hold Me Tight (2021). There is no scheduled release date for the band’s forthcoming third album. 

The band consists of Geoff Rana (lead vocals, guitar, keys), Jared King (Bass, backing vocals), and newest member, Neel Shukla (Drums).

I Should Have Known That This Was War

Slogan

Cast Away

Electric Skin

Der Weg ins Rampenlicht ist lang und schwer

Rampenlicht

A spark unfolds in the quiet night  
Silent currents, hidden light  
Echoes rising through the dark  
A gamma wave, a shining mark  

It’s the end, it’s the start  
Shockwave shaking fragile hearts  
 
Burst, burst — gamma burst  
Cracking open all the universe  
Let it flow, let it stay  
Ride the rhythm night and day  
Burst, burst — gamma burst  
Echo loud across the earth  

Colors bend in violet streams  
Atoms falling into dreams  
Radiate, illuminate the skies  
Cosmic roar, no compromise  
 
It’s the end, it’s the start  
Shockwave shaking fragile hearts  

Burst, burst — gamma burst  
Cracking open all the universe  
Let it flow, let it stay  
Ride the rhythm night and day  
Burst, burst — gamma burst  
Echo loud across the earth  

Shadows scatter, stars collide  
Time is folding, open wide  
Every signal, every sound  
Gamma rising all around  
  
Burst, burst — gamma burst  
Cracking open all the universe  
Let it flow, let it stay  
Ride the rhythm night and day  
Burst, burst — gamma burst  
Echo loud across the earth  

Silent night, the spark remains  
Through the pulse, nothing’s the same  

Making History

The Utopiates

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