Musicians make unimaginable sacrifices for their art, and Nashville’s alternative rock duo, CITY SILOS, is no stranger to it. Husband-and-wife Chris and Kristen Butler worked tirelessly for the last four years, wandering through day jobs and late-night songwriting sessions, sleeping in a van and living on the road, to emerge with a statement-making debut record. Happy Thoughts (due late August) – recorded at Nashville’s The Hilson Studio and produced by Sean Power (Michelle Wright, and Josh Hampson) – is a mighty demonstration of pain and resilience. Their words are laced with vulnerable, yet dangerously evocative, confessions about many of life’s darkest and most brutal cycles. Over 10 songs, CITY SILOS – a name sparked from long nights, high mileage, and a caffeine drip – addresses human emotions with terrifying clarity.
CITY SILOS’ combined influences run from Paramore, Aretha Franklin, and Sara Bareilles to Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top. Each mine the work of such greats to further enrich their own songcraft, delicately walking the balance between the past and the present, and pushing the envelope further. In past projects, Kristen and Chris uncovered the fuzzy-headed guitars and musically volatility to hit the sweet spot of their ingrained desires. “Once we started playing this stuff out it clicked,” Kristen notes. “We got back to why we love music and what’s important to us.”
Happy Thoughts rises as an impressive debut from two of Nashville’s emerging writers and musicians. It’s hard to imagine such sweltering guitar layers, melodic timelessness and vocal prowess coming from anyone but a veteran act, and that’s the sheer allure and talent of Kristen and Chris Butler of CITY SILOS.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Give It to Me Straight”, the first single from the new album. Featuring a crushing vocal performance from Kristen, the song is awash in synth, jagged crashing guitars crashing into one another, and the drum kit setting the whole show on fire. This is undoubtedly pop music, but the duo manages to rock out and create a song that, while infectious and catchy, isn’t too polished. With soaring harmonies and big groovy synth, the CITY SILOS seem intent on crafting arena-ready music.
“’Give It To Me Straight’ is a song about wanting to move on from a situation but you’re stuck in limbo because you can’t get an answer or the resolution that you need,” says CITY SILOS. “Sometimes it’s better to just get the answer straight up instead of being dragged around.”
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For more music and info visit citysilos.com.
