Stereogum dubs Secret Cities a “Band to Watch”
Alexander Abnos, the leader and frontman of the indie-electro collective Tut Tut, is a busy guy.
He just got his solo project featured in this week’s Pitch, and now, his other project, Secret Cities (formerly known as White Foliage) just got plugged by Stereogum as a “Band to Watch.” Clearly, the dude’s doing something right. Here’s what Stereogum had to say:
The band’s twisting kaleidoscope of crystalline psychedelia, chirpy folk, dark baroque pop, and bare emotions comes lined with male/female vocal harmonies, guitars, percussion, piano, loops, field recordings, viola, violin, fuzzed-out whistling, ambient hiss, trumpets, etc. The results are non-linear and mysterious, but intimate and immediately likable. The Antlers in a blender? A chillier Grizzly Bear brought up on the Unites States Of America (’60s band, not present place)? Or, in a track like “Slacker,” you hear Sufjan Stevens in the pulsing, cascading choirs. The Wilson theme comes through clearly on standout “Boyfriends.” As does their knack for melancholic, uplifting hooks. (Note they do have smiles on their faces.)
Grizzly Bear, the Antlers and Sufjan Stevens: those are some pretty potent comparisons. Well done, guys! You can check out Secret Cities in Kansas City on June 29, when they stop by Record Bar.
