This week sees Sydney’s Crystal Cities release their new single “Don’t Speak Too Soon”. Releasing on Friday 21st August, the single is taken from their forthcoming sophomore album Hold Me Close Hold Me Tight. Ahead of the official release date we’re excited to be bringing you this exclusive first listen.
The difficult second album is practically a cliché these days. But, some band’s don’t always make it easy for themselves either. After recording their debut album Under The Cold Light Of The Moon at Abbey Road Studios last year, the band decided to go in a different direction for album number two. This time there’d be no fancy studio, no producer, instead lead singer/guitarist and the band’s principal songwriter Geoff Rana taught himself the ins and out of recording. As he describes it:
‘“Don’t Speak Too Soon” is my first attempt at being an engineer and producer. It was a lot more involved than just showing up to the studio to record my parts! I think more hours were spent reading and watching tutorials than actually recording.’
The process was not without its technical hurdles. Rana lost all of his vocal takes at one point and was forced to re-record them all. But, with the help of the renowned engineer Paul Lani (David Bowie, Prince, Megadeath), Crystal Cities have delivered something to be proud of. Where Under The Cold Light of The Moon featured more orchestral flourishes, “Don’t Speak Too Soon” is sharper, more direct and harder hitting. Those trade mark ‘dream rock’ elements are still there, but with more polish and perhaps more emphasis on the rock.
“Don’t Speak Too Soon” was the first song that Rana tracked for the band. Even before taking into account the fact that Rana was ‘learning on the job’ it’s a cracking single. A clean, crisp and sharp slice of rock.
“Don’t Speak Too Soon” releases Friday August 21st. You can keep up to date with Crystal Cities via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
